SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK
by Kim Dreamcatcher
Summary: In order to elude Prince Zuko, Aang and his friends decide to hide out in an abandoned temple. But, unknown to them, they'll end up having one of their biggest adventures, and Sokka will discover a power he never knew he had...CH 19 UP
1. A Reluctant Truce

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

Author's Note: Okay, this is my second of possibly three Avatar fanfics. Truth be told, this crossover is more based on the storyline of the RPG game for PlayStation 2, called "Inuyasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask," not the TV show. I'm trying not to follow the game's storyline to the letter, and I'm also throwing in a few extras that aren't part of the game. I'm using most of the original dialect, with a few altercations to some of them. I'm also using mixed scenarios from being both the boy and the girl characters in the game. Also, I forgot to add this when I first posted this story: when it comes to the Avatar, this story takes place after episode 13, "The Blue Spirit." And, when it comes to Inuyasha, this story takes place sometime after episode 54, "The Backlash Wave: Tetsusaiga's Ultimate Technique," but before episode 60, "The 50-Year-Old Curse of the Dark Priestess." That's just a guess based on the contents of the game itself. Trust me, I've played it a few times! Hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter One: A Reluctant Truce**

"Do you think we lost him, Aang?" Katara whispered.

"I don't know, Katara. I don't hear anything," Aang whispered. Aang, Katara, and Sokka were all hiding behind trees deep in the forest, all three of them panting heavily.

"Well, we can't just stand here forever! We have to keep moving!" Sokka whispered loudly.

"Hey, I remember seeing an old temple out here when we were flying overhead on Appa," Aang recalled. "It's not far from where we are now, I'm sure of it. We can hide in there for a while, until we're certain that Prince Zuko has given up the search."

"That's a good idea, Aang," Katara agreed as Sokka cautiously peeked out from behind his hiding place.

"I don't see him…maybe we lost him, for the moment," Sokka whispered.

"Then we better take this opportunity to get to that temple and quick!" Katara suggested as the three children ran off in the direction of the temple, unaware that their pursuer had been watching them the entire time…

"Well, here it is," Aang announced as they reached the old temple. The outside wasn't much to look at, though. The wood used to build the temple was old and weatherworn, the stone steps were crumbling apart, and any jewels or ornaments that had decorated the outside of the temple at one time were long gone, possibly stolen or taken away by whomever occupied the temple.

"From the looks of it, I don't think that anyone has set foot in here for years!" Sokka remarked.

"Which makes it a perfect hiding place, Sokka! Prince Zuko won't think of looking for us in here!" Aang pointed out as the three children carefully climbed the stone steps to the temple door.

Sokka opened the door to the temple, leading into a large empty room with wooden support beams scattered around the place. There was no furniture at all in the bare room, and the floor was caked with layers of dirt and dust, indicating that no one had set foot inside for many years.

"We'll stay in here until nightfall, and then we'll find Appa and leave," Katara suggested as she slowly closed the door behind her and Aang, being careful not to make much noise.

As Sokka walked further into the empty temple, he didn't notice a symbol painted on the floor in red: the outline of a five-point star inside of a circle. Once he placed his foot on the symbol, the floor suddenly gave way.

"AHH!" Sokka screamed as he fell to the floor, his right leg sinking through the small hole.

"Sokka, are you okay?" Aang asked curiously as he and Katara approached Sokka.

"You guys, watch your step! The floor's pretty rotten!" Sokka warned Katara and Aang as he attempted to pull his leg free. Suddenly, the floor holding Sokka up abruptly gave way underneath him.

"Sokka!" Katara screamed as she saw her brother fall into the even larger hole. She and Aang quickly ran to the edge of the hole and managed to grab Sokka's hands.

"Come on, Katara! Pull!" Aang shouted through his clenched teeth as he and Katara both pulled as hard as they could in an attempt to bring Sokka back up to the temple floor.

All of a sudden, the door to the temple was flung wide open. Aang and Katara looked over their shoulders and gasped when they recognized the silhouette of Prince Zuko standing in the doorway.

"I have you now, Avatar," Zuko openly admitted as he stepped into the temple.

Startled by Zuko's presence, the young airbender and waterbender nearly forgot about the task at hand, and holding the additional weight of Sokka was dragging them closer to the edge of the gaping hole.

"AHH!" Katara, Sokka, and Aang screamed simultaneously as all three of them fell down the large hole. By the time Zuko had reached the hole, the Avatar and his two companions were nowhere in sight.

"You won't escape me so easily, Avatar!" Zuko shouted as he willingly jumped into the hole. He was startled a bit by the numerous balls of pale blue light gathering together below him, but Zuko thought nothing of it as he passed through the strange light…

"Oww…my head hurts…" Sokka grumbled softly as he slowly came to. He was surprised to see a canopy of trees above him instead of the roof of the old temple.

"How did I end up out here?" Sokka wondered aloud as he stood up and brushed the dirt off of his clothes. "I guess Katara and Aang got me out of that hole and brought me outside. But, where are they?" Sokka became a bit worried when he didn't recognize his surroundings.

"This is strange. I don't recognize this place at all. And where are Aang and Katara? They wouldn't abandon me on purpose, unless…Prince Zuko caught them! I have to find them!" As Sokka started down the path, he occasionally called out Aang and Katara's names, but he got no response.

"Katara! Aang! Please answer me!" Sokka shouted yet again. When he made a turn in the path, Sokka gasped when he found Katara and Aang, both lying on either side of the path unconscious.

"Katara, Aang! Wake up!" Sokka pleaded as he first went to his sister's side, then to Aang's. When he approached Katara again, he was relieved when she slowly opened her eyes.

"Sokka…are you okay?" Katara whispered as she sat up.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Katara," Sokka replied. "Do you know how we ended up outside?"

"No, I don't know, Sokka," Katara replied. "The last thing I remember…Aang and I were trying to pull you back up to the temple floor, and then Prince Zuko…"

"Prince Zuko? He found us?" Sokka exclaimed out of shock. "Then, he must have been the one who brought us outside."

"We must have been out cold for quite a while, Sokka," Katara muttered out loud as she stood up. "Back at the temple, it was just starting to grow dark, but it looks like it's about noontime now. And why would Prince Zuko even bother to save the two of us? He just wants to capture Aang because he's the Avatar."

"Did someone say my name?" Aang asked curiously as he got up and approached Sokka and Katara.

"Oh, I'm glad that you're all right, Aang," Katara openly admitted as she hugged Aang.

"Where are we, Katara?" Aang asked curiously.

"I have no idea, Aang," Katara reluctantly admitted as she looked around at their unfamiliar surroundings. "Nothing here looks familiar."

"Then, Prince Zuko must have pulled us out of the building, like I said," Sokka pointed out.

"But, why would he risk leaving the three of us alone?" Katara asked. "Also, Prince Zuko would have a much easier time bringing Aang outside, instead of all three of us, and Aang's the only one he's interested in capturing, Sokka."

"Okay, you have a good point, Katara," Sokka reluctantly agreed.

"So, what do we do now?" Aang asked curiously.

"Well, it would probably be best if we start walking," Sokka suggested. "Maybe, we'll eventually recognize our surroundings once we start moving."

"That's a good idea, Sokka," Katara agreed. "We should get going now, before Prince Zuko comes back."

Aang silently nodded in agreement as they started walking down the trail…

"How much further is it?" Aang complained as he, Katara, and Sokka continued down the path. "We've been walking for a long time, and I don't recognize anything at all!"

"I know, Aang. I don't recognize anything, either," Katara reluctantly admitted.

"Hey, look on the bright side, guys. At least, we gave Prince Zuko the slip!" Sokka pointed out.

As the three friends turned the next corner, they let out startled gasps when they came face-to-face with Prince Zuko. He appeared to be a bit startled to see them, too, but he quickly shook it off.

"Finally, I have you right where I want you, Avatar," Zuko muttered with content as he produced two large fire balls in each of his hands. While Aang and Sokka were a bit intimidated, Katara had decided in her mind that enough was enough.

"Okay, just drop it!" Katara snapped, much to Zuko's surprise, and Sokka and Aang's amazement. "If we don't know where we are, then you must not know where you are, either! Even if you do capture Aang, where would you take him?"

Zuko was just completely silent and stunned, for he didn't know what to say. Although he wouldn't openly admit it, Zuko knew that Katara was telling the truth, for he didn't recognize his surroundings either.

"I'm guessing by the look on your face that I'm right: you don't know where you are, either. I can't believe I'm even suggesting this, but until we figure out where we are, the best thing would be to stay together, and that means no fighting amongst the four of us. Can you at least agree to that?" Katara asked the prince of the Fire Nation.

Sokka and Aang both held their breath in anticipation, uncertain of how Zuko would react to someone ordering him around, let alone a girl. After a few agonizing moments had passed, Zuko finally closed his hands, snuffing out the two fire balls.

"Fine, then. Until we become more aware of our surroundings, we shall hold a temporary truce," Zuko stated.

"Well, I'll agree with that, as long as you keep up your end of the bargain," Katara pointed out. "Until we can find out where we are, you will not hurt our friend, Aang, or me or my brother. Is that understood?"

"It's agreed, then. I will not lay a hand on the Avatar, or you and your brother…but once everything is settled, this truce is over," Zuko stated coldly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Fine, then. We should keep moving then. Hopefully, we can find some people along this trail to tell us where we are," Katara suggested as she walked right past Zuko and continued down the path.

"Hey, wait for me, Katara!" Aang shouted as he ran after Katara.

"Are you coming or what?" Sokka asked Zuko as he walked past him.

Zuko let out a deep sigh as he started to follow Sokka. "I suppose I have no choice in the matter," he muttered angrily to himself…


	2. Strange World

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Two: Strange World**

"Look, there's some people up ahead!" Aang announced as he pointed at three strangers further up the trail: an elderly man with gray hair; a younger man with black hair, a beard, and a receding hairline; and a young woman with long dark brown hair, possibly the younger man's wife. The older man was wearing a lavender and pale green striped kimono, brown pants, and sandals. The younger man was wearing a red kimono, a dark brown vest, dark blue pants, and sandals. The woman accompanying the two men was wearing a full-length orange kimono covered with yellow spots, a purple sash, a green hair band that held her hair back into a ponytail, a white handkerchief tied on top of her head, and sandals.

"Finally, those people can tell us where we are," Zuko admitted, obviously wanting to end the temporary truce as soon as possible.

"That's strange…neither of them are wearing the colors of any of the four nations," Katara pointed out. "And they're all wearing kimonos? No one I know of wears kimonos out in the open anymore."

"Maybe they're from one of those little-known, old-fashioned villages, Katara," Sokka suggested. "I'm sure there's still some villages around that practice the old traditions."

"Yeah, maybe…" Katara muttered a bit uncertainly.

Just then, the younger of the two men turned around and stared in their direction. "There it is!" he exclaimed loudly.

"What?" Aang asked curiously as the older man and the young woman turned around as well.

"There it is!" the older man cried out.

"What are they talking about?" Aang asked aloud to no one in particular as the three strangers approached them.

"The younger man is carrying a weapon. Perhaps they are bandits," Zuko whispered out loud as the four of them slowly backed away.

"Careful! It's a demon!" the young woman screamed fearfully.

"A demon? Where?" Sokka asked as he looked around at their surroundings, only to see nothing out of the ordinary.

"Demon, where have you taken my daughter?" the younger man demanded as he pointed his weapon directly at Sokka.

"What, me? I'm no demon!" Sokka firmly denied.

"You lie!" the younger man shouted.

"Alright, let's catch it. Get it!" the young woman shouted.

"Catch it and get my daughter back!" the younger man agreed.

"These guys are seriously weird," Sokka remarked. "We better leave…now!"

"Good idea," Aang agreed as the four of them back away even more.

"Don't let it get away!" the younger man announced.

"Yes, don't let it get away!" the young woman agreed as the three strangers started to run towards Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Zuko.

"Okay, now we run!" Sokka shouted.

"I like that plan!" Katara quickly agreed as she, Aang, Sokka, and Zuko ran off back in the direction they came, with their three pursuers not far behind…

"I need…to rest…" Sokka panted heavily as the four reached a small clearing covered with colorful wildflowers.

"We can stop now. I think we lost them," Katara revealed as she leaned against a tree, while Sokka and Aang plopped down on the ground and Zuko simply bent over slightly while he caught his breath.

"What was that all about?" Aang wondered out loud. "Those people, they thought we were demons!"

"That's where you're wrong, Avatar," Zuko announced as he stood up straight. "It wasn't us; it was him who they believed was a demon!" He pointed directly at Sokka, who immediately sat up.

"Me, a demon? I think I would know if I was a demon or not!" Sokka retorted. "Besides, demons aren't even real! Those people were just talking crazy!"

"Perhaps not. My father and my uncle have both told me of a time long ago when demons and other unworldly creatures were once abundant in our world," Zuko explained. "Also, when I jumped through the hole in the floor of the old temple, I remember passing through these orbs of pale blue light."

"You know…I remember those orbs of light, too!" Katara recalled.

"Yeah, me, too!" Aang added as he sat up.

"Okay, so we all saw the same thing in the temple. So, what exactly are you suggesting, Prince Zuko? That we somehow got transported to another place?" Sokka asked.

"Not another place…another time," Zuko stated.

"Yeah, right," Sokka remarked out of disbelief.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Zuko shouted angrily.

"I didn't say that. I just find your story hard to believe," Sokka pointed out as he stood up.

"Calm down, you two," Katara interrupted as she stepped in between Zuko and Sokka. "Fighting isn't going to solve our situation here."

"Huh?" Aang gasped as he quickly got up on his feet, holding onto his staff tightly.

"Aang, is there something wrong?" Katara asked curiously.

"I thought I heard something, out in the woods," Aang explained.

"Oh, great! They found us!" Sokka complained loudly.

"Everyone, stay close!" Aang announced. "If we stay together and each face in one direction, they can't ambush us!"

"Good plan, Aang!" Katara agreed as the four grouped together, with their backs towards each other. Aang faced the north, Zuko faced the east, Katara faced the south, and Sokka faced the west. A few agonizing moments passed uneventfully.

"This is pointless! They most certainly would have attacked us by now!" Zuko pointed out.

"Look, out there!" Aang shouted as he pointed at a strange figure with his staff, which quickly darted from one tree to another.

When it made itself known to the four, it was clearly obvious that the creature was not human at all. Its skin was lavender in color, it had pointed ears, a single pale blue eye, a pale blue loincloth covered with black splotches, and long claws.

"Is that a demon?" Katara asked a bit fearfully.

"It certainly fits the descriptions that my father and uncle have told me," Zuko replied.

"He, he, he! I thought I smelled something tasty! It's a group of children!" the demon admitted gleefully in his high-pitched voice. "I was just getting hungry. How convenient!"

"I'm warning you, don't come near us!" Zuko shouted as he threw a fire ball at the demon, nailing it directly in the chest. When the fire eventually faded away, the four gasped when they saw no evidence of a burn on the demon's chest, not even scorch marks.

"I don't understand it. According to the stories, demons are supposed to be vulnerable to fire!" Zuko gasped out of surprise.

"Well, definitely not this one!" Sokka commented dryly.

"Run away!" Aang shouted as the demon charged towards them at lightning speed.

The four children quickly ran off, trying desperately to avoid the demon. Unfortunately, for Sokka, he tripped over an exposed tree root in his way.

"Ahh!" Sokka screamed as he fell flat on his face. As he got up in a sitting position, Sokka gasped when he saw that the demon was drawing closer towards him.

"Ha, ha! You will be the first one I shall eat!" the demon openly confessed as he bore his sharp fangs and let out a roar.

"Sokka, no!" Katara shouted as she tried to reach her brother before it was too late.

As the demon advanced towards Sokka, he stared down at the ground and closed his eyes, bracing himself for the worst. Suddenly, unbeknownst to Sokka, a glowing red emblem of a five-point star encased in a circle appeared on the ground underneath him. The mysterious red light was also coming from Sokka's body, which blinded everyone in the immediate area…


	3. The HalfDemon, Inuyasha

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Three: The Half-Demon, Inuyasha**

_What happened to me? Am I dead?_ Sokka wondered in his thoughts as he struggled to open his eyes.

"Hey, kid, are you awake yet?" an unfamiliar male voice asked in a sarcastic tone.

_Who was that? I must still be alive!_ Sokka thought to himself as he finally opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the unfamiliar face of a young man with golden yellow eyes, long silver-white hair, thick feathery bangs, and two shorter locks framing his face, looking down at him.

Sokka noticed that the young man was wearing a red kimono, matching red pants and sash, a black cord tied across his chest, and a string of round dark purple beads, with an occasional white claw-shaped bead spaced in between every five purple beads. The man also had a sheathed sword hanging from his waist.

"Who are you?" Sokka murmured groggily. As his vision became clearer, Sokka's eyes widened out of shock when he first noticed the white dog ears perched on top of the young man's head.

"What the…dog ears?" Sokka gasped loudly as he quickly sat up.

"Hey, wait a minute…" the young man grumbled a bit crossly as Sokka quickly backed away from him. "What are you scared of? It's not like I'm going to eat you. Don't run away." It was then that Sokka noticed that Katara, Aang, and Zuko were still alive and slowly coming to.

_If this guy was going to eat us, I'm sure he would have done so before we woke up,_ Sokka thought to himself as he looked back at the dog-eared man. _Maybe he's the one who got rid of that other demon!_

"Sokka, you're all right!" Katara exclaimed out of relief as she hugged her brother.

"Yeah, I think so. Katara, do you know this guy?" Sokka asked curiously as Aang and Zuko got up as well.

"No, I never seen that man before," Katara replied as the four of them stood up.

"That's no man! He's a demon!" Zuko announced.

"Relax, kid! I ain't going to hurt you," the man replied.

"But, you have dog ears…and fangs!" Zuko pointed out. "Don't come near us!"

"Don't you get it?" the white-haired man asked a bit irritably. "Never mind…anyway, you were great! What kind of technique was that?" he asked as he looked directly at Sokka. "You defeated that demon by shining that light on him."

"Oh, that's right…that strange light…" Sokka slowly realized as he recalled the encounter with the one-eyed demon before passing out. "I thought I was a goner, but I'm still alive…but why?"

"Hey, you four don't look like you're from around here," the white-haired man pointed out.

"That's certainly the truth!" Zuko remarked under his breath.

"What a hassle! Come on, follow me," the white-haired man instructed. "Kagome can probably explain things."

"Who's this Kagome?" Aang asked curiously.

"You'll see soon enough, kid. Kaede's village is just ahead. Come on now," the white-haired man persisted, intentionally ignoring Aang's question. Sokka, Aang, Katara, and Zuko quickly huddled together.

"Should we go with him?" Katara whispered.

"He said he was going to take us to a village. Maybe the people there can be more helpful than those three we came across earlier," Sokka suggested.

"But, what if he's just leading us into a trap?" Aang asked a bit worriedly.

"If that's the case, the four of us should be able to take him down," Zuko pointed out.

"Well, are you coming, or am I leaving you all behind?" the white-haired man asked loudly out of frustration.

"Okay, we're coming," Sokka replied as he, Katara, Aang, and Zuko rejoined the young man.

"And what do we call you?" Zuko asked inquisitively.

"My name is Inuyasha," the white-haired man stated. "And who are you?"

"I'm Sokka, and this is my sister, Katara. The boy with the arrow on his head is Aang, and the stubborn guy with the burn scar is Zuko," Sokka quickly introduced everyone.

"All right, enough with the introductions! Let's get moving!" Inuyasha announced as he started heading down the trail…

"Why do you have dog ears? Are you a real demon? Why is your hair silver? Does that mean you're really old? Because you really don't look that old to me!" Aang asked curiously as he walked alongside Inuyasha.

It was becoming clearly obvious to Katara, Sokka, and Zuko that Inuyasha was gradually getting annoyed by Aang's constant bombardment of questions.

"Is there any way to shut him up?" Zuko asked a bit irritably. "He's beginning to irritate me."

"Aang, I think you should take it easy with the questions for now, okay?" Katara whispered loudly to Aang. Suddenly, Inuyasha abruptly stopped cold on the trail.

"What's going on? Why did you stop?" Zuko demanded.

"Wait! There's a strange smell in the air. I think that demon's buddies are hanging around," Inuyasha revealed.

"What? That's just great!" Sokka complained.

"The smell of demons is coming from that purple light," Inuyasha announced as he pointed at a small swirl of purple light just up ahead.

"What should we do?" Sokka asked curiously.

"What are you talking about? Let's go after 'em!" Inuyasha shouted. "It should be easy if you use that red light again, Sokka. Hey, here they come!"

Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Zuko watched as the purple light started to take on two solid forms: one similar to a green bat with an orange ball and a pair of long lime green stingers attached to its tail, and the other looking similar to a gray wolf.

"What are those things?" Katara asked.

"That's a canis demon and a bad luck bat. Be careful of the bat, his stingers shoot poison at you," Inuyasha cautioned as he withdrew his sword, the blade being much larger than the sheath it was contained in. "Come and get me!"

Suddenly, the bad luck bat swooped overhead and shot down a cloud of green gas from his tail at the group of five. To Inuyasha's surprise, Aang, by using his hands, had manipulated a large swirling disc of air above their heads, which repelled the poisonous gas away from them.

"I've got that thing!" Zuko announced as he threw a punch in the air, shooting a burst of flame from his fist directly at the bad luck bat overhead. The creature squealed loudly in pain as it became engulfed in flames. As the bad luck bat broke apart into orbs of purple light that eventually disappeared, Katara turned around and gasped when she saw that the canis demon was running right at them.

"Stay back!" Katara shouted as she quickly uncorked her water skin and used the water whip on the canis demon. As the demon cried out in pain, Katara drew the water back into the water skin and sealed it up with the cork.

"I've got this one!" Sokka announced as he threw his boomerang at the canis demon. To his surprise, the canis demon caught the boomerang in its mouth and simply spat it out on the ground.

"Okay…I wasn't expecting that," Sokka reluctantly confessed. Suddenly, the gray wolf ran straight towards him, baring its sharp teeth.

"Leave it to me!" Inuyasha shouted as he dove in front of Sokka and sliced the beast right through the middle with his sword.

"Whoa…" the four children gasped slowly out of amazement as the now dead canis demon turned into several small orbs of purple light that eventually vanished.

"Those small demons are no match," Inuyasha muttered out loud as he sheathed his massive sword. He glanced over at the four children and commented, "So, all four of you have special powers, huh? I'm surprised!"

"Thanks, Inuyasha!" Aang replied enthusiastically with a big grin.

"Hey, Sokka…why didn't you use that last move again?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

"I…didn't know how to," Sokka reluctantly confessed as he retrieved his boomerang and placed it back in his sheath.

"You're lame," Inuyasha muttered under his breath.

"But, I didn't know what to do," Sokka pointed out.

"I see…that move came from his subconscious," a male voice announced. "He was so afraid to die, he did it unconsciously."

"Who said that?" Aang asked curiously as he and the others looked around for the unknown speaker.

"It's just Myoga," Inuyasha revealed as he tapped his shoulder.

Upon closer inspection, Aang spotted a flea on Inuyasha's shoulder with a thin white moustache, thinning white hair, and two pairs of arms, who was dressed in a forest green kimono and dark blue pants.

"Is he a demon, too?" Aang asked curiously as he, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko gathered around to take a closer look at the tiny creature perched on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Yes, I am Inuyasha's personal bodyguard. My name is Myoga," the flea introduced himself.

"How can you say that you're my bodyguard when you run away at the tiniest sign of danger?" Inuyasha pointed out.

"Never mind that, Inuyasha. I can still sense demons around us," Myoga revealed. "This boy's power has not yet been awakened. We have to be careful."

"You're right, I can still smell the demons, too," Inuyasha realized as he sniffed the air.

"What should we do?" Katara asked curiously.

"You have to fight hard and make sure you don't slow Inuyasha down," Myoga replied. "We're getting close to Kaede's village. Well, Inuyasha, I'm going ahead. Be careful." With that, Myoga jumped off of Inuyasha's shoulder and hopped down the trail.

"Hey, Myoga! Wait! Damn, he's run off again," Inuyasha complained.

"But, what about the demons? Shouldn't we be worried about them?" Katara asked curiously.

"The demons around here are pathetic. Let's get going," Inuyasha replied as he led the way…


	4. Kagome & the BoneEater's Well

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Four: Kagome and the Bone-Eater's Well**

"Finally, we've arrived. This is Kaede's village," Inuyasha announced as the group of five approached the small village far out in the countryside.

"This looks like such a peaceful village. It's surprising that there are demons lurking just a short distance away," Katara openly confessed as she gazed around the village.

"Now, come on or I'll leave you behind!" Inuyasha shouted.

"Okay, we're coming!" Sokka shouted as he, Katara, Aang, and Zuko followed Inuyasha further into the village.

They didn't get far when a young girl's voice called out, "Inuyasha!"

The group of five turned around and saw a teenage girl with shoulder-length black hair and feathery bangs, brown eyes, and a pale complexion running towards them. The girl was dressed unusually in a long-sleeve white shirt with a large green collar and a red kerchief tied underneath the collar, a green skirt ending above the knees, white socks ending halfway below her knees, and brown leather shoes. The girl had a crossed look on her face, with her arms folded across her chest.

"Hey, Inuyasha! Where have you been?" the girl demanded. "There was a demon outside of the village and we needed your help to defeat it. You're never there when we need you."

"If you're talking about those little demons, I already took care of them," Inuyasha pointed out.

"Oh, really?" the girl asked a bit suspiciously. It was then that she noticed Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Zuko. "Hey, who are you?"

"Oh, yeah…these kids were being chased by one of the small demons, so I stepped in," Inuyasha explained.

"Can you just tell us where we are? We're just lost, that's all," Sokka requested.

"You mean you're not familiar with this area?" the girl questioned curiously. All four of them shook their heads no in response.

"Well, first of all, I am Kagome Higurashi," the girl introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Katara," Katara introduced herself. "This is my brother, Sokka; that's our friend, Aang…and that's Zuko."

"Why don't you explain what happened and we can see if we can figure out where you came from," Kagome suggested.

"It's weird. We all fell through a hole inside an old temple, and all of a sudden, we're out in the woods," Sokka explained. "Next thing we know, we're being chased off by angry villagers, and we got attacked by demons, which aren't even supposed to exist!"

"I see," Kagome muttered out loud. "And you truly believe that demons aren't supposed to exist?"

"Yeah, of course. I've never seen or heard about demons until today," Sokka replied.

"Okay, I believe that you and your friends possibly traveled back in time," Kagome suggested.

"What?" Sokka exclaimed loudly.

"And you thought that my idea was farfetched!" Zuko remarked with a slight smirk.

"What about those demons, Kagome? Will they attack us again?" Katara asked a bit worriedly.

"There's no need to worry, Katara. This village is safe. You and your friends can stay here for a while," Kagome replied.

"Thank you. We really appreciate it, Kagome," Katara admitted graciously.

"You're weird," Inuyasha scoffed under his breath.

"What do you mean by that, Inuyasha?" Katara asked curiously.

"One minute, you're crying like a baby, and now you're all sweet to us!" Inuyasha remarked.

"I can't help it. This is all new to us," Katara claimed in her defense.

"Don't be so rude, Inuyasha! You'd be upset, too, if you had to go through all of this," Kagome explained.

"Eh…reminds me of someone else that cries all the time," Inuyasha muttered out loud.

"What do you mean by that? You're the one that's always mad," Kagome remarked.

"Me? Always mad? Yeah, right!" Inuyasha scoffed angrily.

"See, you're mad right now!" Kagome pointed out. "You are so short-tempered!"

"Sounds like someone we know," Sokka whispered sarcastically as he glanced over at Zuko, who just gave him a cold stare in response.

"You're the one that's so touchy. You're always losing your temper," Inuyasha argued.

"You two get along well, don't you?" Katara prodded curiously.

"What?" Kagome gasped.

"Hey, what are you saying? Who does she think she is," Inuyasha remarked rudely.

"Oh, stop it," Kagome stated.

"Never mind…don't you four need to go back to the well?" Inuyasha addressed Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Zuko.

"A well? What for?" Aang asked curiously.

"Don't you wanna go back to wherever or whenever it is you came from?" Inuyasha asked.

"That's right," Kagome agreed.

"What do you mean?" Zuko prodded.

"Behind this village, there's a well called the Bone-Eater's Well. The well connects my time to Feudal Japan," Kagome explained. "That's how I got here. I'm from a future time as well."

"So, what you're saying is…" Sokka trailed off.

"You may be able to go back to your time if you pass through there," Kagome replied.

"Really? Can you take us there?" Aang asked a bit excitedly.

"Okay, it's on the eastern outskirts of this village," Kagome explained. "Just follow me, okay?"

"All right, Kagome," Katara agreed as she, Sokka, Aang, and Zuko followed Kagome and Inuyasha around the village…

"This is the Bone-Eater's Well," Kagome announced as she pointed at a large crudely made well built with weather-worn wood, which stood over two feet above the ground.

"It looks really old…almost like demons could come out of it," Katara commented.

"Yeah, it does," Kagome agreed.

"Well, they used to toss the dead demons into it," Inuyasha openly confessed, which brought looks of concern to the four kids' faces. Even Zuko was a bit alarmed by what Inuyasha just said about the old well.

"Hey, don't say that! You're going to scare them!" Kagome complained.

"Whatever. The demons were dead, anyway," Inuyasha pointed out.

"You know what I mean, Inuyasha. You're so insensitive," Kagome muttered out loud. She looked at the four strangers and noticed the alarmed look in their eyes. "Sorry about that."

"That's okay, really. So, do we go in from here?" Katara asked curiously.

"Yeah, if you jump in, it should take you back to your time," Kagome replied.

"Hmm…" Aang murmured thoughtfully as he approached the well and looked down into it, along with Katara, Sokka, and Zuko.

"That's a long way down!" Sokka commented when he saw how deep the rock-lined well was. "Well, you know the old saying: royalty always goes first!" he added as he looked at Zuko.

"Why don't you go first?" Zuko asked a bit suspiciously.

"No, I insist. You may have the honor of going first," Sokka insisted.

"What are you two scared of?" Inuyasha interrupted.

"I'm not afraid!" Zuko claimed.

"Neither am I!" Sokka added.

"Then here's an idea: why don't you two brave boys jump in the well at the same time?" Katara suggested.

"All right, then," Zuko agreed.

"Okay, we'll go in on three. One…two…" Sokka started to count. He hesitated a bit when he was about to say three. Unknown to Sokka and Zuko, Inuyasha had approached them from behind.

"Three, right?" Inuyasha asked. At that moment, he shoved both boys forward over the opening of the well.

"Huh?" Sokka gasped when he realized that he and Zuko were no longer standing on the edge of the wooden well.

"AAAHHHH!" the two boys screamed simultaneously as they plummeted down the dark well. Within moments, a loud crash reached everyone's ears.

"Sokka, are you all right?" Katara shouted as she and Aang stuck their heads down the well.

"I'm fine, Katara! Fortunately, Zuko broke my fall!" Sokka's voice echoed loudly off of the walls of the well.

"Get off of me!" Zuko's voice echoed angrily.

"Inuyasha, what did you do that for?" Kagome complained loudly as she glared at the white-haired half-demon.

"Hey, Aang, can you get them back up here?" Katara asked curiously.

"No problem, Katara. Hold on, you two!" Aang shouted.

Kagome gasped loudly out of surprise when she saw Aang create a large swirling ball of air in his hands and throw it down the well. A few moments later, the ball of air had lifted Sokka and Zuko out of the well and back onto the ground before it disappeared.

"That was certainly a most unpleasant experience!" Zuko complained as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"H-how did you do that?" Kagome asked curiously. "That was amazing!"

"Oh, it's nothing, really, Kagome. I'm an airbender. Also, Katara is a waterbender and Zuko is a firebender," Aang explained.

"I see…and what about you, Sokka?" Kagome asked as she looked over at Sokka.

"Oh, umm…I'm still trying to figure that out," Sokka reluctantly admitted.

Kagome then returned her attention to Inuyasha. "What did you do that for, Inuyasha?" she demanded.

"I couldn't help it," Inuyasha claimed, his face becoming flustered.

"What if they got hurt?" Kagome asked.

"Shut up! I was just helpin' out!" Inuyasha shouted.

"That's your idea of helping us?" Sokka asked dully as he brushed the dirt off of his leggings.

"What? How is that helping?" Kagome questioned Inuyasha.

"Excuse me, but how is this going to help us return back home?" Zuko interrupted.

"Sorry about that. I don't know why, but you can't see to get through," Kagome muttered out loud. "Don't worry, I'm sure there's another way."

"Okay, Kagome…but what do we do now?" Aang asked curiously.

"Well, Kaede helped me out when it was my turn," Kagome revealed.

"Who's Kaede?" Katara asked curiously. "Inuyasha had mentioned her before."

"She's the wisest person in this village. She's a priestess, and she knows a lot," Kagome explained.

"But, she's always nagging me!" Inuyasha complained.

"Only because you're always getting into trouble," Kagome pointed out.

"I would like to meet this Priestess Kaede," Zuko admitted.

"Okay, let's go. She lives on the west side of the village square," Kagome replied.

"Then, let's go!" Aang announced enthusiastically as Kagome led the way back to the village…


	5. Priestess Kaede & the Mischievous Shippo

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Five: Priestess Kaede and the Mischievous Shippo**

"This is Priestess Kaede's house," Kagome announced as they stopped outside of a wooden hut just past the merchant's stand.

Just then, a figure stepped out of the hut, and to the four children's surprise, she looked exactly like Kagome. The look-alike was even wearing the same clothes as Kagome.

"Hmm?" Kagome gasped as she glanced up at her look-alike.

"What? There's two of you, Kagome?" Sokka asked curiously as he looked back and forth at the two identical girls.

"Kagome's back!" the doppelganger exclaimed happily, which sounded more like a little boy's voice.

"So, you have a twin sister that comes to this era, too, Kagome?" Katara asked curiously.

"Twin sister? What are you saying?" the imposter questioned a bit suspiciously.

"You're not sisters? But, you look exactly alike!" Aang pointed out.

"Hey, behave yourself, Shippo!" Inuyasha announced, apparently talking to Kagome's look-alike.

"What's one supposed to think, with you suddenly looking like that?" Kagome added.

Suddenly, the imposter became encased in a thick cloud of smoke and turned into a little boy. He had thick reddish-brown hair, which was tied back with a turquoise hair band, thick feathery bangs, green eyes, a bushy light tan tail, pointed ears, and skinny fox-like legs covered in light tan fur. He was wearing a turquoise shirt with pale green leaves printed on it, a tan vest, and baggy navy blue pants.

"What happened? That girl just turned into a child!" Zuko gasped loudly.

"I didn't mean to scare you, mister. I was just practicing the art of transformation," the little boy apologized.

"I wasn't afraid!" Zuko firmly denied after quickly composing himself. Aang, Katara, and Sokka simply shook their heads slightly as they tried to suppress their snickers.

"Transformation? How can you do that?" Aang asked curiously.

"You use the art of transformation when you want to trick someone," the little boy explained.

"Wow, that's pretty neat! So, what's your name?" Aang asked. "My name is Aang, and these are my friends, Katara and Sokka. And that's Zuko."

"My name's Shippo," the little boy introduced himself. "Are you Kagome's friends?"

"Umm…not really. We just met," Aang openly confessed.

"Oh, really?" Shippo asked curiously.

"You seem really calm about all this, even though you're a kid," Katara commented with a small smile.

"I'm not a kid anymore!" Shippo snapped a bit angrily. "I'm a respectable adult."

"Okay, if you say so. I'm sorry, Shippo," Katara apologized.

"Don't be such a smart-aleck, Shippo!" Inuyasha remarked.

"What did you say, Inuyasha?" Shippo demanded.

"Both of you, stop it!" Kagome interrupted. "We're going to Kaede's house, right?"

"Cut it out, Shippo!" Inuyasha complained as he smacked Shippo on top of his head with his clenched fist. The four children gasped when they saw a rather large bump swelling up on Shippo's head.

"Ouch! That hurt!" Shippo cried out in pain.

"That's it. Inuyasha, sit!" Kagome shouted. Suddenly, the beads around Inuyasha's neck started to glow, and he was slammed into the ground hard by an unseen force.

"Hey, what was that? Wow, Kagome!" Sokka gasped out of astonishment.

"This is the power of Priestess Kaede," Kagome openly admitted. "Come on, let's go talk to Kaede."

"Okay, Kagome," Aang agreed as everyone followed Kagome into the hut, including a humiliated Inuyasha, who was grumbling angrily under his breath.

Inside the hut was an old woman with long graying hair tied back with a white hair band, and a black eye patch over her right eye. She was wearing a white long-sleeve kimono, baggy red pants, white socks, wooden sandals, and a thin red cord looped around her neck.

"What's happened, Inuyasha? Kagome and Shippo, too? Oh, who are you?" the old woman addressed the four newcomers as she approached them.

"Umm…hello. My name is Katara, and this is Sokka, Aang, and Zuko. You must be the Priestess Kaede," Katara started…

"So, that's what happened," Kaede muttered thoughtfully after hearing the children's story of how they came here. Everyone was sitting on the floor of the main room of the hut.

"The well didn't work!" Inuyasha announced.

"Well? The Bone-Eater's Well?" Kaede asked curiously.

"Yeah, when Zuko and I tried it, we just fell straight to the bottom. Do you know of another way we can get home?" Sokka asked.

"Hmm…unfortunately, I don't know," Kaede reluctantly admitted.

"You mean we can't return home?" Katara gasped as her blue eyes began to fill with worry.

"Gosh, I feel for you, Katara," Shippo openly confessed.

"How irritating. Why are you so upset?" Inuyasha questioned Katara, who simply looked down at the wooden floor as she sighed deeply.

"Don't be so hard on her, Inuyasha," Kagome announced.

"Whatever. It's not like they're gonna die if they can't go home," Inuyasha scoffed loudly.

"Well, you could try being a little nicer," Kagome suggested.

"Kagome, Inuyasha, stop fighting!" Shippo complained.

"Being nice isn't gonna find the way home," Inuyasha pointed out. "If you four want to go home, you need to find a way to do that."

"Find a way?" Aang repeated.

"Is that what you're trying to say, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Well, what else?" Inuyasha retorted.

"Well, I guess we won't get anywhere by me being upset," Katara announced.

"You can be upset anytime you want, Katara," Inuyasha replied.

"Okay, we'll just have to keep trying then," Katara admitted.

"That's okay, as long as you get it," Inuyasha remarked.

"That's enough, Inuyasha!" Kagome complained.

"Well, if that's the case, you four might as well stay here with Inuyasha and everyone else," Kaede suggested.

"What?" Inuyasha exclaimed loudly. "Now, that's going a little too far."

"Wait, Inuyasha. Just like when Kagome first arrived in this world, this is no trivial matter either," Kaede pointed out.

"So what?" Inuyasha shouted.

"If something should happen, it would be better if you were together," Kaede suggested.

"This is so annoying!" Inuyasha grumbled angrily under his breath. "Fine, whatever."

"Things are looking up, huh, Katara?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, they are. Thank you so much," Katara admitted.

"It's decided then. Let's go listen to the village gossip," Kagome suggested as she stood up. "Maybe we'll find a clue from something we hear."

"Yeah, maybe," Katara agreed as everyone started to get up…

"We're not getting anywhere by just standing around talking!" Inuyasha complained loudly as they stopped at the base of a long wooden staircase, which led to the village's cemetery.

"I agree, but we don't have any clues…" Kagome trailed off.

"Hmm…I don't know," Aang muttered thoughtfully.

"It would help if you had seen anything out of the ordinary," Kagome pointed out.

"Hey, something's bothering me," Shippo announced. "Why couldn't you use the Bone-Eater's Well, but Kagome can?"

"Possibly because we're not from the same time era as Kagome," Zuko assumed.

"And probably because we didn't get here through the Bone-Eater's Well," Sokka added.

"Then that would mean…there's something like the Bone-Eater's Well, near where you first woke up, don't you think?" Kagome suggested.

"Well, all we have to do is go back to the place where you first woke up," Inuyasha announced.

"Yeah…but I can't remember where that was now," Sokka reluctantly confessed. "We were trying to run away at the time."

"What a bunch of scardy cats!" Inuyasha remarked as they continued walking…

"Hey, we're back at the Bone-Eater's Well," Aang realized when he recognized the well that Zuko and Sokka went into in an attempt to return home.

"You really can't remember where it was?" Inuyasha asked as he held his hands behind his head.

"If someone had been with you at the time, we could ask them. But the four of you were alone, weren't you?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Wait…what about those villagers we met near there, guys?" Aang asked.

"You mean those crazy people that chased us down, Aang?" Sokka exclaimed.

"Yeah, them, Sokka," Aang replied. "They probably know the area better than we do."

"Well, then, we should ask them," Inuyasha suggested.

"Or, at least, they may have seen something that could give us a clue," Kagome added.

"Alright, let's go look for those villagers," Inuyasha announced as they headed back to the village…

"Hey, we've looked through the whole village now," Inuyasha pointed out as they stopped near the merchant's stand.

"Yes, we have. But, I haven't seen anyone that looks like those villagers we saw," Katara muttered out loud as she looked back at Sokka, Aang, and Zuko. "What about you guys? Did you see any of those three villagers we came across earlier?"

"No, we haven't, Katara," Aang reluctantly admitted as Sokka and Zuko shook their heads no.

"All I can think of is maybe the next village, Akebi Village," Kagome revealed.

"Oh, there's a village nearby? Maybe those people we saw were from there!" Aang exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to seeing them again!" Sokka retorted under his breath.

"Is this Akebi Village near here?" Zuko asked.

"Yes, it's not that far, but…" Kagome trailed off.

"But what?" Katara asked curiously.

"But there's all kinds of demons on the road going there!" Shippo muttered a bit fearfully.

"He's right," Kagome agreed. "Demons come after you even if you're only a little ways from the village."

"We know, Kagome. We were chased by one of those demons earlier," Sokka revealed.

"Yes, so you need to be careful," Kagome cautioned.

"As long as I'm with you, you've got nothin' to worry about from those demons," Inuyasha boasted openly.

"That's right!" Shippo added. "You've got no brains, but plenty of brawn!"

"Shut up, Shippo!" Inuyasha shouted when he realized that Shippo has just insulted him, striking the little fox demon on the head a second time.

"Ouch! Why'd you do that?" Shippo cried out as a large bump appeared on his head.

"Cut it out, Inuyasha," Kagome complained.

"Come to think of it, you two are demons, right?" Katara asked curiously as she looked directly at Inuyasha and Shippo.

"Are you talking about Inuyasha and Shippo?" Kagome inquired.

"Yes, of course. I'm a bit surprised, though. I was under the impression that all demons were scary and evil," Katara openly confessed. "And here we are all together."

"Inuyasha isn't really a demon," Kagome hesitantly revealed.

"That's enough, Kagome," Inuyasha interrupted.

"But…" Kagome started.

"It's okay, Kagome. I'm not too concerned with that kind of thing," Katara replied. "Do you think you could lead us to the next village?"

"Of course, I can. Let's all go to Akebi Village," Kagome suggested. "But we should prepare for our trip before we go."

"That's a good idea. The road leading there is pretty rugged," Shippo agreed.

"Okay, let's go shopping first," Kagome replied. "Although Akebi Village's not far from here, we'll need supplies for the journey."

"Sounds like a good idea, Kagome," Katara agreed as she removed some coins from her traveling bag. "I found some money on the ground from us fighting those demons in the forest."

"It's good that you picked up that money, Katara. Since there's seven of us, we'll need plenty of supplies," Kagome openly admitted. "And you can carry some supplies in your bag. I don't think I'll have enough room to carry everything in my backpack."

"Sure, Kagome, I don't mind. That's what I use this bag for, anyway," Katara replied as the two girls approached the merchant's stand…


	6. The Power of Shikigami

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Six: The Power of Shikigami**

"This is Akebi Village," Kagome announced as they finally arrived at the small, yet modest village. "This place may be small, but they're well known for making charcoal."

Sokka noticed that there were two men standing just at the border of the village. One man, who was accompanied by a brown horse, had short black hair, and was wearing a dark blue kimono, dark brown pants with green embroidery on the cuffs of the leggings, white socks, sandals, and a green cap on top of his head. In addition, he was carrying a large yellow case on his back, indicating that he was a merchant. The other man had light brown hair and was wear a long-sleeve white shirt, a dark brown leather vest with matching hood, turquoise pants, a black sash, and dark brown boots.

"Excuse me, sir? Are you from around here?" Sokka questioned the merchant.

"No, I am a traveling salesman that has been coming to buy this charcoal for a long time now," the merchant revealed. "I've noticed that the quality has dropped a little lately. Has something happened?"

"Umm…I'm not sure, mister. We just arrived here," Sokka revealed as Katara approached the salesman.

"What kind of merchandise do you have, sir?" Katara asked curiously.

While the salesman removed the case from his back and opened it up, Aang asked, "What are you doing, Katara?"

"I need to restock on our supplies, for when we go back to Kaede's village," Katara explained. "Why don't you see if that logger over there knows anything? I'll join you in just a minute."

"Okay, Katara," Aang replied as Zuko approached the logger.

"What can you tell us about this Akebi Village?" Zuko asked as Aang, Sokka, Kagome, Shippo, and Inuyasha joined him.

"The charcoal from Akebi Village is very famous," the logger proudly admitted. "People travel from far away to buy it. It is charcoal made from trees that we loggers have lovingly grown. So, it's no surprise that it's become well known."

"That's just fascinating…but how does that help us?" Zuko asked with a hint of sarcasm as Katara rejoined them.

"Don't be so rude, Zuko. There are other people in this village we can question," Katara pointed out as they continued walking.

As the group reached the middle of the small village, they started to pass an elderly man with dark gray hair pulled up into a ponytail and a receding hairline, who was standing in front of a small shrine. He was wearing a light gray kimono, dark green pants, and sandals.

"Hey, travelers! Have you heard about the old temple?" the elderly bald man asked them. "It seems there's a bunch of demons in there."

"In the old temple…" Kagome trailed off, deep in thought.

"That sounds a little scary," Katara reluctantly confessed.

"Demons! Huh…yeah, right! Whatever. There's nothing to be scared of," Inuyasha scoffed matter-of-factly.

"I sure hope so," Shippo muttered worriedly as the group of seven continued down the path. As they walked further into the village, they noticed a small hut that had thick smoke pouring out of an opening in the roof.

"That's probably where they make the charcoal," Sokka guessed. At the face of the hut, a logger was busy tending to the charcoal.

"Excuse me, mister?" Aang asked curiously as he tapped the logger on the shoulder. When the logger turned around, Aang gasped loudly out of surprise, for the man's face was completely covered in black soot.

"My face is black all year, from making charcoal," the logger revealed with a deep sigh. "It's probably because of this that I don't have any luck with the girls."

"Yeah, probably…" Zuko retorted under his breath.

Suddenly, the group was approached by an older man with short black hair, who was wearing a pale pink kimono with dark pink on the shoulders, cerulean blue pants with sky blue patches on the knees, and sandals.

"You guys can't get out of the village, either?" the man asked them.

"Huh, why?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Your clothes are different, so I figured you weren't from here," the man revealed.

"You're right, but why can't people get out of the village?" Aang inquired.

"Because of the spider. Lately, there's been a big demon spider wandering around the place," the man explained. "No one can leave the village because everyone is scared."

"Spider? Ecch, I hate spiders!" Sokka complained.

"I don't really like them, either," Kagome added.

"I don't think that's the problem," Shippo announced.

"And it's not just any spider," the man continued. "It's an enormous spider with a white web that captures people."

"Captures with a white web? I don't like this," Katara muttered a bit worriedly.

"On top of that, he has black hair on his legs!" the man added.

"I think he's exaggerating," Shippo stated.

"He has more than ten eyes!" the man exclaimed.

"He's definitely exaggerating!" Shippo realized.

"Hey, talk straight, old man!" Inuyasha shouted impatiently.

"Sorry, I get a kick out of the girls getting scared so easily when I tell the story," the man openly confessed. "I got carried away. Anyway, until someone takes care of him, everybody's too scared to leave the village."

Uncertain of whether or not the old man's story was the truth, Katara approached a young man standing nearby with short black hair, who was wearing a hazel brown kimono with yellow spots, a light green sash, and sandals.

"Have you heard of this demon spider that the old man there has mentioned?" Katara asked curiously.

"Yes, I have. A girl from this house was kidnapped by the ghost spider," the young man explained solemnly as he gestured towards a nearby wooden hut. "Terrible! She was a cute little girl named Sachi. All I can do is pray for her safety."

"That's just horrible!" Katara gasped before she rejoined the others and told them about what she just learned about the little girl.

"The demon spider took a little girl? I hope she's okay," Aang muttered worriedly.

"Yeah, me, too," Kagome agreed as they went on their way…

"How about trying in here?" Aang suggested as he pointed at a relatively small hut near a pond.

"It looks pretty small, so maybe just two of us should go in there and ask," Kagome replied.

"I'll go," Katara volunteered.

"I'll go with you, Katara," Sokka added as he and his sister walked into the hut. They found an elderly woman tending to something in the stove. She had long gray hair tied back into a ponytail, and she was wearing a red kimono with charcoal gray on the cuffs of her sleeves, a gray sash, sandals, and a light forest green cap on her head.

"Every day, I do the cooking and the laundry. Isn't there anybody who can do it for me?" the old lady complained under her breath as she watched the food carefully, not noticing her two young visitors.

"Excuse me, ma'am? I'm sorry to interrupt you, but do you know anything about the demon spider that lives in the old temple?" Katara asked curiously.

"Demon spider, you say? No, I'm afraid I don't know much about it…but I do know someone who does," the old lady recalled.

"Who is it, ma'am?" Sokka prodded.

"Let me think…Zenkichi, that's it!" the old lady gasped out loud. "He's the oldest logger in our village. I believe that he's right outside of my home at this very moment, taking a short rest. If you hurry, you might be able to speak with him."

"Thank you for your time, ma'am," Katara graciously admitted.

As Sokka and Katara exited the hut, Sokka decided to approach a man standing just outside the door, with his black hair pulled up into a ponytail and a receding hairline. He was wearing a pale gray kimono, green pants, and sandals.

"Excuse me, but are you Zenkichi?" Sokka asked curiously.

"Yes, I am. Why do you ask?" the man asked curiously.

"We were told that you could tell us more about the demon in the old temple," Sokka explained.

"Demon? Oh, the giant spider in the old temple in the forest," Zenkichi recalled gruffly. "Ever since I was a child, I heard that it lived in the old temple. But recently, he came to the village and it's been attacking the villagers. So, because of that, nobody's been able to get out to the forest. It's been terrible."

"Recently, you say? Does that mean he didn't chase people before?" Aang asked curiously.

"Why would you ask that? Are you going to the old temple?" Zenkichi asked suspiciously.

"What if I do?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically with his arms folded across his chest.

"Uh…nothing. I'm sorry," Zenkichi apologized, clearly a bit intimidated by Inuyasha. "Until now, he was satisfied to eat stray farm animals and creatures in the wild. He never used to come to the village."

"Really? That's strange…" Kagome muttered out loud.

Meanwhile, Aang was looking around the area and spotted a figure in the distance standing at the shore of the nearby pond. "What about that person over there? Do you think she may know something?" Aang asked curiously.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask," Sokka openly admitted.

Just then, a young man leaning against a nearby tree looked in their direction. "If you're going to the pond just ahead, you should talk to Kakuju. I'm sure you'll hear helpful stories," the young man explained.

"We'll do that," Katara replied as she, Sokka, Aang, Zuko, Kagome, Shippo, and Inuyasha started to walk towards the pond.

As they approached the pond, the group saw an elderly woman facing the pond, with thick gray hair tied back in a bun, thick bangs that hung over her eyes, and a long wooden stick to support herself. She was wearing a dark peach kimono with matching pants that were both covered with the outlines of pale peach triangles, a long forest green vest that ended at her knees, green socks, sandals, a white sash around her waist, and a strand of large purple beads around her neck.

"What rare use of Shikigami power…" she murmured out loud as the group stopped short of reaching her.

"What?" Sokka asked curiously as the old woman turned around to face them.

"When you were in danger, do you remember what you cried out?" the old woman addressed Sokka.

"Umm…" Sokka trailed off.

"How would you know?" Inuyasha asked a bit suspiciously.

"Ha, ha, ha! I wonder!" the old woman chuckled.

"Strange granny…" Inuyasha muttered under his breath.

"What is this about?" Katara wondered aloud.

"It doesn't seem likely, but this human has a mysterious power," Inuyasha announced.

"What?" Sokka, Katara, Aang, and even Zuko gasped simultaneously.

"Oh…I see," Shippo slowly realized.

"It's nothing, really," Sokka denied. "Well, Grandma Kakuju, exactly what is this power?"

"It's what we call Shikigami, which is a special power that can be wielded. It's a spiritual power that exists in all creatures in the universe," Kakuju explained.

"It sounds pretty amazing!" Katara openly admitted.

"This is great, Sokka! Now, you have a power, too!" Aang congratulated the still stunned Sokka.

"Well, Sokka, is it? You have only just awakened your powers," Kakuju revealed. "You don't even know how to use them to your fullest potential yet."

"No, I guess not," Sokka reluctantly admitted.

"You can't help it, Sokka. There's nothing like this back in our world," Katara reassured her brother.

"Your world?" Kakuju repeated.

"Yeah, the four of us are from a different world, and we were brought here unexpectedly," Sokka explained.

"Oh…you're from a different world. That is unusual," Kakuju muttered thoughtfully.

"So, do you know anything?" Inuyasha asked.

"Sorry, but I don't know anything that could help you," Kakuju reluctantly admitted.

"I see…" Sokka trailed off.

"Sorry about that," Kakuju apologized.

"That's okay. Well…I guess we'll be leaving now," Sokka replied as he and the others started to turn away.

"Wait a minute!" Kakuju shouted, causing everyone to stop and turn back around.

"Huh?" Sokka asked curiously.

"I don't know what brought you into this world, but I can teach you how to use the Shikigami power that lies within you," Kakuju explained. "Would you like to learn?"

"That's great!" Inuyasha openly admitted. "You should learn how to use it, Sokka."

"Well…okay," Sokka agreed. "Please teach me, Grandma Kakuju."

"Okay, then stand in front of me, hold my hand, close your eyes, and be very still," Kakuju instructed.

Sokka silently nodded in agreement as he stepped forward and followed Kakuju's instructions to the letter. As he closed his eyes, everyone watching gasped loudly when they saw a red glow coming from Sokka's body, which became so intense that it nearly blinded everyone.

"Wow! Your whole body lit up, Sokka! Is that what you call Shikigami, Grandma Kakuju?" Aang asked curiously.

"No, no, child. We just awakened the Shikigami," Kakuju explained. "Now, Sokka, you will learn to use the Shikigami." She then walked to Sokka's side and pointed out a large rock with her walking stick, which appeared to be sparkling in the sunlight.

"Look at this rock next to me. This rock is made from Serpentine. It reacts to the power of Shikigami. If you can properly use Shikigami, the rock will react and break. Go ahead and try it."

"Okay," Sokka agreed as he approached the rock, knelt down next to it, and placed his hand on top of the rock. Within moments, the rock started to glow a bright red hue and disintegrated into dust.

"I did it!" Sokka exclaimed loudly out of shock as he stood up.

"That's great!" Kagome openly admitted.

"Whatever, I can do that," Inuyasha claimed.

"No need to get competitive," Shippo pointed out.

"That's right. This isn't the place to be waving your sword around," Kagome agreed.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha complained.

"So, do you think you've learned how to use the Shikigami power?" Kakuju asked Sokka.

"Yes, pretty much," Sokka replied.

"Now, the test will be putting it to actual use," Kakuju stated.

"Okay. Thank you, Grandma Kakuju," Sokka admitted as he bowed respectively to the elderly woman.

"Now, let's go find a villager who might know something," Kagome announced…


	7. Journey to the Old Temple

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Seven: Journey to the Old Temple**

"This is unbelievable! We've been through this entire village, and we haven't found any sign of those villagers we ran into a few days ago!" Zuko complained loudly as everyone headed back to the outskirts of Akebi Village.

"I know it's frustrating, Zuko, but we can't just give up," Sokka pointed out. "Those people may be the only ones who can help us get home."

"Sokka's right," Kagome added. "The only thing we can do for now is return to Kaede's village. After we all get some rest, we'll try looking for those people you saw at the next village."

As they reached the road leading back to Kaede's village, Aang gasped when he recognized a young man standing across the path from the merchant and his horse.

"Hey, I found you! You were the one that came after us in the field!" Aang announced enthusiastically when he recognized the man as one of the three villagers that he, Sokka, Katara, and Zuko came across earlier before meeting Inuyasha.

"Hey, aren't you the ones from that time…did you come to abduct someone again?" the man asked suspiciously, his eyes focusing on Sokka in particular. "Hey, everyone! A demon! Get away! Demon, give me back my daughter!" Just then, the man was joined by his two companions, whom the four children recognized as well.

"What nonsense is he talking about?" Inuyasha asked dully.

"Don't be rude, Inuyasha. Just a minute, you don't have to be afraid. This kid isn't a demon, none of them are," Kagome tried to convince the three villagers.

"What? Well, what's with the peculiar clothing?" the black-haired man demanded.

"Oh, it's just an unusual circumstance, but we're normal people, like you," Kagome explained.

"It's true, I'm not a demon," Sokka proclaimed.

"Hmm…" the black-haired man murmured thoughtfully as he looked Sokka over. "Come to think of it, you do look pretty weak to be a demon."

"You finally got it," Inuyasha remarked.

"I can't believe we were about to capture a regular kid," the man realized. "So sorry. We were so panicked, we couldn't see straight."

"You were panicking? What happened?" Kagome asked curiously.

"A demon has stolen our daughter," the man announced.

"Demon…as in the giant spider demon?" Zuko asked curiously.

"Yes, he came to our village and stole my daughter!" the man revealed. "And we all went looking for her."

"That must be when we appeared," Aang realized.

"That's right," the older man replied. "We saw your strange clothes and appearances, and thought you were demons in disguise. It's exactly as he says."

"It's okay, really. Can I ask you something, though? Where you saw us…did you happen to see a well or an old building or anything out of the ordinary?" Sokka asked curiously.

"A well? No, I didn't," the younger man replied. "I searched that area really well, and I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Any of you see anything?"

"No, there wasn't anything around there," the older man revealed.

"I see…" Sokka trailed off.

"Damn. We finally find the place and there's nothing. What a waste of time," Inuyasha complained.

"It's too bad, but I guess we should head back to Kaede's village," Shippo suggested.

"Wait!" Kagome announced.

"What, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

"So, what about the demon spider? Did you find your daughter?" Kagome asked the black-haired man.

"No, not yet. The young men that went to the old temple to find her never came back," the man sadly admitted. "I think I need to go and find her."

"What are you saying, father?" the woman asked in an upset tone. "No! What would we do without you?"

"Damn it! We're no match for a demon that can destroy our homes," the older man reluctantly confessed.

"In that case, we'll go after him for you," Inuyasha announced.

"What! You will destroy him for us?" the black-haired man asked out of disbelief. "Did you hear that, everyone?"

"How can I thank you?" the older man asked Inuyasha.

"Please help our daughter, Sachi," the woman pleaded.

"Inuyasha! This is so unlike you! Are you okay?" Shippo asked curiously.

"I'm so bored from all this walking. I need a little excitement," Inuyasha revealed.

"Oh, I see," Shippo stated dully.

"But…" Sokka started to protest.

"It's probably just some stale old demon that lives in the old temple," Inuyasha explained. "This'll be a piece of cake."

"But, the villagers said he's been acting different recently," Sokka pointed out.

"Oh, shut up! What do you know about demons? Let's just go already!" Inuyasha complained loudly as he turned towards the three villagers. "So, where's the old temple?"

"It's at the end of the village, past the rocky expanse," the black-haired man replied. "Please help my daughter."

"Of course, we will," Katara assured the young man…

"If this fog gets any thicker, we won't be able to see where we're going," Katara muttered a bit worriedly as the fog blanketing the path that she and her six companions were following started to grow thicker.

As the group of seven reached a fork in the trail, Sokka, Katara, Aang, Zuko, Kagome, Shippo, and Inuyasha came across a young man with short black hair, who was wearing a pale blue kimono, magenta pants, sandals, and an orange bandana tied around his head. He also carried a large blue case on his back, indicating that he was a traveling salesman.

"Hey, mister. What are you doing all the way out here?" Aang asked curiously as he approached the salesman.

"I went looking for medicinal herbs out here, but I got lost," the salesman explained. "So, I stayed at the old temple on the right side, but…I heard noises coming from under the floor and there were strange things written on the paper that was on the desk. It was very spooky!"

"Old temple…that's where we're going," Katara revealed.

"What? You're going to the old temple?" the salesman exclaimed loudly out of shock.

"Yeah, so what of it?" Inuyasha scoffed angrily.

"Inuyasha, don't be so rude. We're on our way to the old temple to get rid of the spider demon," Kagome explained.

"Oh, is that so? Well, good luck to all of you," the salesman replied.

"How much further is this temple, anyway?" Sokka asked curiously as he, Katara, Aang, Zuko, Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo continued down the trail on the right side through the rocky expanse, which was covered with a blanket of mist, making it hard to see the path ahead.

"According to that merchant we came across earlier, it's not much further, Sokka," Kagome announced.

As they turned past a large moss-covered rock, the group saw a large old temple built of wooden columns and wood-framed paper wall screens that were surprisingly still intact.

"So, this is the old temple. It looks perfect for a giant spider's dwelling," Katara muttered out loud as the group approached the wooden staircase leading to the open doors of the old temple. They found themselves in the main room of the temple, which was nearly pitch-black and had two halls on either side of the room.

As Sokka's eyes became adjusted to the darkness, he spotted a pair of small glowing red eyes towards the back of the room. "Uhh…guys? I see a pair of eyes back there!" Sokka whispered loudly as he pointed at the glowing red eyes.

"Umm…I see more than that, Sokka…" Aang stuttered nervously when he saw four more pairs of glowing red eyes appear near the pair that Sokka originally spotted.

"There are ten of them…no, make that twenty!" Zuko gasped when he realized that they were surrounded by the pairs of glowing red eyes.

As everyone's eyes became better adjusted to the darkness of the room, they saw that the many eyes belonged to large birds covered in black feathers, with gray beaks and sharp talons on their gray feet. Zuko judged the birds to be just a bit bigger than male red ribbon hawks. Suddenly, one of the birds let out a caw, and all of the black birds took to the air and flew around the seven travelers like a swarm of bugs.

"What are those things?" Katara asked as she wrapped both arms around her head to protect herself from the birds' sharp beaks and talons.

"Those are crows! Keep down, everyone!" Kagome shouted over the loud flapping of the crows' wings.

"Quickly, this way!" Aang shouted as he headed for the hall on the right side of the room, quickly followed by Katara, Sokka, Zuko, Kagome, Shippo, and Inuyasha. "That was a close one!" Shippo sighed loudly out of relief.

"Those pathetic buzzards are nothing but a bunch of weaklings! They only attack when they're in a flock, that's how weak they are!" Inuyasha complained. "Besides, we got more important business to take care of, like that spider demon."

"Inuyasha's right, we should keep moving," Kagome added as everyone continued down the dark hall…

"AHH!" Sokka screamed loudly as he and Aang quickly bolted out of the room they were in, with Shippo right at their heels. The three of them were searching the first room they came across in the back hall, while Kagome, Inuyasha, Katara, and Zuko were checking the second room.

"Sokka, Aang, Shippo, what's going on?" Kagome asked curiously as she, Zuko, Katara, and Inuyasha came out of the room they were in, curious as to why Sokka screamed. The two girls gasped when they saw the floating blue head, with protruding fangs and three small yellow horns on its head, which was chasing after Sokka, Aang, and Shippo.

"It's a death mask! Keep running, you three!" Inuyasha shouted.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Sokka shouted as he, Aang, and Shippo ran past Katara, Zuko, Kagome, and Inuyasha.

"Kagome, you go with them, and that also goes for you, too, Katara and Zuko," Inuyasha announced. "I'll take care of this pest."

"All right, Inuyasha. Katara, Zuko, come with me," Kagome replied as she ran down the hall as well, soon followed by Katara and Zuko.

"Hurry, everyone, in here!" Shippo shouted as he ran into the third door down the hall, quickly followed by the others, with the exception of Inuyasha.

"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!" Inuyasha shouted as he finished off the death mask with a quick swipe of his claws. As the demon's aura faded away, Inuyasha joined the others in the room.

"That demon's gone for good now, but we should keep moving before more of them show up," Inuyasha suggested. As Katara's eyes wandered around the room, she spotted something resting on a small desk.

"Hey, there's a letter on the desk," Katara announced as she picked up the piece of paper. " 'I got lost and ended up at this temple. But I'm terrified of something,' " she read aloud.

"Terrified? About what?" Aang asked curiously as Katara placed the paper back down on the desk.

"Probably the spider demon that the people of Akebi Village spoke of," Zuko stated.

"Hey, there's another letter over here!" Sokka announced, who was standing at a desk on the other side of the room, which was concealed by a silkscreen divider.

"What does that one say?" Kagome asked curiously as she, Inuyasha, Shippo, Katara, Aang, and Zuko joined Sokka on the other side of the room.

" 'I lost a very important key. I had it when I was making our meal. Maybe I dropped it somewhere,' " Sokka read to everyone. "Hmm…I wonder what the key is for."

"Hmm…we should keep an eye out. I have a feeling there's more letters like this around here," Kagome muttered thoughtfully. Meanwhile, Aang was approaching a doorway in the left wall of the room, leading into another room.

"Hey, here's another note!" Aang announced as he ran into the room and approached a desk with a piece of paper resting on it.

"What does it say, Aang?" Katara asked curiously as she, Sokka, Zuko, Kagome, Shippo, and Inuyasha joined Aang in the third room.

" 'There's a spooky sound coming from under the floor. What kind of sound is it? An animal? A demon? I'm terrified!' " Aang read out loud.

"That can't be good!" Shippo muttered worriedly.

"Come on, let's keep going," Kagome suggested as she walked out of a doorway leading back into the hall, followed by Shippo, Inuyasha, Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Zuko.

"Look, a door!" Zuko announced as he pointed at a door on the opposite side of the hall. Sokka was the first one to reach the door, but soon found out something disappointing about it.

"It's no good. Looks like it's locked," Sokka revealed.

"Hey, remember that key mentioned in the second letter that we found? Maybe the key mentioned in that note is the one that unlocks this door!" Aang suggested.

"Good thinking, Aang," Kagome admitted. "Now, we just have to find it."

"Look out!" Shippo shouted as a bad luck bat swooped overhead, along with two hooded specters with ghastly white arms with long claws, and tattered blue robes that covered their entire bodies.

"Are those ghosts?" Katara asked a bit fearfully.

"Uh-huh," Shippo reluctantly admitted.

"Hold still, you little pests!" Zuko complained as he shot many blasts of flames at the three demons. Unfortunately, with the three of them constantly flying around, the flames missed their intended targets, leaving charred marks in the ceiling instead.

"Leave it to me! I'll get them!" Kagome announced as she took an arrow from her quiver, loaded it into her bow, and carefully aimed it at the bad luck bat overhead. The arrow struck the bad luck bat in its left wing and pinned it to a support beam in the ceiling.

"I did it!" Kagome exclaimed.

"And I'll finish it!" Zuko announced as he threw his fist directly at the bad luck bat, shooting a blast of fire at the demon. The bad luck bat tried desperately to free itself from the arrow pinning its wing to the ceiling, but the demon couldn't escape in time from the fiery blast. As the bad luck bat's demonic aura faded away, Aang gasped when he saw one of the ghosts heading straight towards Inuyasha.

"Look out, Inuyasha!" Aang shouted, but his warning came too late.

"Argh!" Inuyasha gasped as the ghost struck him in the left shoulder with its long claws, leaving a gaping wound in his shoulder.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" Kagome asked out of concern.

"I'll live," Inuyasha mumbled angrily under his breath.

"Shippo, what are you doing?" Katara asked curiously as the fox demon stepped forward.

"You just watch! Fox Fire!" Shippo shouted as he produced a ball of green fire in his hand and threw it at one of the two ghosts. The green fire ball struck the ghost, but did little damage to the specter.

"What's this?" Shippo gasped loudly when he saw that his attack had barely wounded the ghost.

"Grrrr…we don't have time for this," Inuyasha grumbled angrily as he stuck his right hand into his wound, coating his fingertips and claws in his own blood. "Blades of Blood!" The three glowing red slashes produced from Inuyasha's blood tore through the two ghosts, killing them instantly.

"Wow! That was amazing, Inuyasha!" Aang openly confessed.

"Are there any more demons around?" Inuyasha asked as he looked up and down the hall.

"No, I don't see any," Katara replied as she checked the hall as well, along with Sokka, Aang, Zuko, Kagome, and Shippo.

"Good, then let's go," Inuyasha muttered out loud.

"Hold on, Inuyasha!" Kagome announced.

"What is it now?" Inuyasha asked a bit irritably as he turned around to face Kagome.

"Let's go in this room first. We should stop for a little bit so I can tend to your injury, Inuyasha," Kagome suggested as she approached another doorway down the hall.

"Fine…" Inuyasha reluctantly agreed as he, Shippo, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko followed Kagome into the room. Inuyasha sat down on the floor and started to remove his kimono and the long-sleeve white shirt he wore underneath his kimono, while Kagome dug through the contents of her yellow backpack.

"What's that box for, Kagome?" Aang asked curiously, referring to a small white box with a strange green symbol that Kagome had just removed from her backpack.

"This is my first aid kit," Kagome explained.

"What's a first aid kit?" Katara asked curiously.

"It's a box that carries medicines, ointments, and bandages from my time," Kagome replied as she opened her first aid kit. "They work pretty well, so I always make sure to carry this with me and restock it when I run out."

While Kagome was explaining the purpose of her first aid kit, she had removed a roll of bandages, a small bag of cotton balls, and a tall dark brown bottle from the white box.

"Just hold still for me, Inuyasha," Kagome instructed as she soaked one of the cotton balls with the clear liquid from the bottle.

Inuyasha grumbled angrily under his breath as Kagome knelt down next to him. He grimaced slightly as Kagome applied the medicine to his wound. After she finished with the medicine, Kagome placed the bottle and the used cotton ball back in the first aid kit and took out a roll of bandages. While Kagome was wrapping the bandages around his injured shoulder, Inuyasha glared at Sokka, Katara, Aang, Zuko, and Shippo, who were all watching him and Kagome intently.

"Do you mind not staring at me!" Inuyasha barked angrily, causing the four kids and the little fox demon to jump out of alarm.

"Calm down, Inuyasha!" Kagome complained. "They're not doing any harm, so take it easy, why don't you?"

"Whatever…" Inuyasha grumbled under his breath.

"Don't mind him, guys. Inuyasha gets like that a lot," Shippo announced, who was sitting in Katara's lap.

"What was that, Shippo?" Inuyasha demanded loudly.

"N-nothing," Shippo denied.

"There, all done," Kagome announced as she tied together the loose ends of the bandage.

"It's about time," Inuyasha complained as he started to put his shirt and kimono back on.

While Inuyasha was getting redressed, Kagome placed her first aid kit on top of a nearby desk. As she placed the bandages back in the first aid kit and closed it, a piece of paper resting on the desk caught Kagome's eye.

"Huh?" Kagome gasped as she picked up the paper and started reading it to herself.

"What is that, Kagome?" Sokka asked curiously.

"It's another one of those letters," Kagome revealed. "Listen to this: 'I got lost while we were traveling. It's very spooky here. We should get out of here as soon as possible.' "

"That doesn't sound good," Shippo muttered a bit worriedly as Kagome placed the paper back on the desk.

"We wasted enough time in here. Let's get going," Inuyasha announced as he stood up.

"All right, Inuyasha. Just give me a minute," Kagome replied as she put the first aid kit back into her backpack…

"Let's go look in here," Sokka suggested as everyone followed him into a large room at the end of the hall. There was a large cooking pot on top of a fire pit in the center of the room, a couple of seating cushions, and a small wooden bench. In addition, the shelves also held jars and bottles, and there was a stone oven in the corner of the room.

"What room do you suppose this was?" Kagome wondered aloud.

"From the looks of it, I think it used to be a kitchen," Katara suggested as she glanced about the room.

"Hmm…" Aang muttered thoughtfully as he carefully looked around the room.

"What are you doing, Aang?" Shippo asked curiously.

"That note, the one that mentioned the key…the person who wrote it said that he last had it when he was making the meal…" Aang trailed off. His eyes widened when he saw a small metal object lying on the floor on the other side of the cooking pot.

"Hey, look what I found!" Aang announced proudly as he picked up a large antique brass key and held it up for everyone to see.

"Maybe it's the key mentioned in that letter, the one that unlocks that door!" Katara realized.

"And that's where we'll find that spider demon," Zuko replied.

"How can you be so certain, Zuko?" Sokka asked curiously.

"The letter mentioned that the key was very important. Perhaps someone managed to lock the demon behind that door, but misplaced the key," Zuko explained.

"Okay, let's go find that door!" Aang shouted enthusiastically. With that, he ran out of the kitchen and back down the hall where they had found the locked door.

"Aang, wait for us!" Katara shouted as she and the others ran after Aang. They were relieved to find the young airbender unharmed and waiting for them by the locked door.

"Aang, you should be more careful. What if you got attacked by demons?" Katara asked out of concern.

"I'm sorry, Katara. But, I do have some good news," Aang announced as he stuck the key into the keyhole and turned it. The lock mechanism let out a resounding click, indicating that the door was now unlocked.

"This is the right key," Aang openly admitted as he slid open the door, revealing a staircase leading down to a lower level of the old temple.

"Well then, let's get going," Inuyasha announced as he headed down the stairs, soon followed by Kagome, Shippo, Zuko, Aang, Sokka, and Katara…

"Huh!" Aang grunted through clenched teeth as he swung his staff at the two demons that attacked him and his friends when they reached the lower level of the temple.

Both demons were pale in complexion with gargoyle-like features, pointed ears, and large green eyes. The demons were wearing flowing light blue robes down to their waists, light brown pants, black boots, and tall dark blue caps. The strong wind produced from Aang swinging his staff threw the two demons high in the air until they hit the tall ceiling of the room they were all in.

"Be careful, Aang! Those dokugan demons are dangerous!" Kagome warned the young airbender as the two demons fell back down on the wooden floor with a resounding crash.

"Don't worry about me, Kagome. I'll be careful," Aang tried to convince Kagome as the dokugan demons slowly got up.

"Watch out!" Zuko shouted as he swung his foot in a half-circle, creating an arch of flames that struck both dokugan demons.

As Katara struck one of the dokugan demons with a stream of water, Zuko looked over his shoulder at Sokka and demanded loudly, "Well, don't just stand there! Use that Shikigami on the demons!"

"What do you think I've been trying to do?" Sokka shouted loudly out of frustration.

"You two, look out!" Katara shouted in warning as the dokugan demon she was fighting dashed past her and headed for the arguing boys.

"Get away!" Sokka shouted as he held up one hand to defend himself. Suddenly, an orb of pulsating red light escaped from Sokka's outstretched hand and struck the dokugan demon in the face, temporarily blinding the demon.

"Hey, I did it!" Sokka gasped softly out of astonishment.

"Well, care to try it again? That first one only stunned him," Zuko suggested as he pointed at the dokugan demon, which was over the effects of the Shikigami attack.

Before the dokugan demon could reach Sokka and Zuko, it suddenly froze and let out a pain-filled cry. As the dokugan demon disintegrated into its demonic aura, Sokka and Zuko saw that Kagome was the one responsible for the demon's demise.

"Sokka, Zuko, are you two okay?" Kagome asked curiously as she lowered her bow.

"Yeah, we're fine. Thanks, Kagome," Sokka replied modestly.

"This'll be a piece of cake!" Inuyasha remarked with a laugh as he unsheathed his sword and held it out in front of him, with the light tan fur draping over the handle.

"TETSUSAIGA!" Inuyasha shouted as he swung his sword right at the remaining dokugan demon, slicing it in half.

"Why did Inuyasha shout out that word? Tetsu…saiga?" Sokka asked curiously.

"That's the name of Inuyasha's sword: the Tetsusaiga," Kagome explained. "It's a very special sword, forged from a fang of his demon father."

"His sword was made from a fang? How is that possible?" Zuko asked curiously.

"There are demon forgers that can forge a sword from a demon's fang, but it only works if the demon is still alive at the time," Kagome explained.

"That takes care of that," Inuyasha announced smugly. As Inuyasha sheathed the Tetsusaiga, Zuko's glance fell upon a piece of paper on a nearby desk.

"What is it, Zuko?" Kagome asked curiously when she noticed that Zuko's attention was diverted elsewhere.

"It's another letter," Zuko announced as he picked up the piece of paper. " 'This temple has been taken over by demons. They will surely kill me soon.' "

"Oh, no," Katara gasped slightly as Zuko put the paper back on the desk. "I hope whoever wrote that note made it out of here alive."

"Yeah, I hope so, too," Kagome agreed…

"Ahh! Watch out!" Aang shouted as he and the others were suddenly ambushed by three demons: a death mask, a dokugan demon, and a ghost. They had barely left the last room they were in when the demons came out of nowhere and attacked them.

"No! Stay away!" Kagome exclaimed a bit out of fear as she ducked into another room, with both the dokugan demon and the death mask following her.

"Oh, no! Kagome!" Sokka gasped when he realized Kagome's predicament.

"Hold on, Kagome! We're coming!" Inuyasha shouted as he ran into the room after Kagome and the two demons, quickly followed by Zuko and Sokka.

"Katara, look out!" Shippo shouted when he saw that the ghost was heading right for the waterbender.

To Shippo's surprise, Katara just stood there as she took in a deep breath and brought her hands up to her face. When the ghost got within a few feet away from her, Katara blew as hard as she could while extending her hands forward. Shippo was stunned to see a thick mist escape from Katara's mouth and realized that she was directing the mist with her hands at the ghost. Just moments after Katara was finished, the ghost fell down to the floor hard, completely coated in a thick layer of ice.

"Wow! That was amazing, Katara!" Shippo gasped loudly out of astonishment as he joined Katara.

"Thanks, Shippo, but it doesn't look like it's gonna last!" Katara reluctantly admitted as she pointed at the ghost, who managed to get up despite being covered in ice.

"Just leave it to me, Katara. Fire Bombs!" Shippo shouted as he threw a handful of bamboo-encased firecrackers at the partially frozen ghost, which exploded on contact and destroyed the partially frozen ghost.

"Nice one, Shippo," Aang openly admitted as he joined Katara and Shippo. As she looked around, Katara noticed that she, along with Shippo and Aang, were the only ones in the hall.

"Hey, Aang, where did everyone else go?" Katara asked the young airbender. Before Aang could answer Katara's question, there was a flash of flickering orange light coming from the doorway, which could have only come from fire.

"That one," Aang simply replied as he pointed at the doorway.

"We better go see if they need our help," Shippo suggested as he ran for the doorway, followed closely behind by Aang and Katara. When they entered the room, Aang, Katara, and Shippo saw that the death mask and the dokugan demon were gone.

"Hmph! That was a waste of time!" Inuyasha scoffed as he sheathed the Tetsusaiga. Katara gasped slightly when she saw her older brother sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, with Kagome at his side.

"Sokka, are you okay?" Katara asked out of concern as she knelt down next to Sokka.

"I'm fine, Katara. That death mask just knocked the wind out of me, that's all," Sokka replied as he slowly got back up on his feet.

"Take it easy, Sokka," Kagome suggested as she and Katara stood up as well. "You did get hit pretty hard."

"I'm okay, Kagome, really," Sokka claimed.

"Hey, what's that?" Aang asked when he noticed yet another desk in the room they were all in. Out of curiosity, Shippo approached the desk.

"Oh, no! Another letter!" Shippo exclaimed as he started to read from the short note left there. " 'Lately, there have been more and more demons. Is it a bad premonition? It's definitely bothersome.' "

Shippo looked back at the others with a clearly frightened look on his face. "Kagome, I'm scared!" he whimpered fearfully.

"Calm down, Shippo. Everything's going to be okay, you'll see," Kagome spoke calmly to the frightened little fox demon.

"What are you afraid of, Shippo?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically. "Come on, let's go."

"Okay," Sokka replied as he, Katara, Aang, Zuko, Kagome, and Shippo followed Inuyasha out of the room and down the hall…


	8. Battle with the Spider Demon

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Eight: Battle with the Spider Demon**

"Well, this has to be it," Zuko announced as he and the others reached a doorway at the end of yet another hallway. "This is the only doorway we haven't checked. The spider demon has to be in there, unless he escaped somehow."

As the seven entered the last doorway, which led into a separate dark hallway, Inuyasha stopped in his tracks. "There's a strange smell," he announced as he turned to face the others.

"Huh! Really?" Sokka asked curiously.

"That's the smell of blood, no doubt about it. There's a strong smell of human blood," Inuyasha announced, which brought a sense of fear in everyone, expect for himself.

"Be careful, Inuyasha," Kagome warned Inuyasha. "The smell of blood and the thought of the spider's web are giving me a bad feeling."

"Yes, the villagers mentioned the spider's web," Katara added.

"I know," Inuyasha stated calmly. "But we can't come this far and turn around."

"I know, but…" Sokka trailed off.

Inuyasha simply scoffed as he shook his head at Sokka. "Fine. You guys stay here."

"What are you saying, Inuyasha?" Shippo prodded.

"No matter how strong you are, you'll still be in danger if you go alone," Kagome pointed out.

"Oh, be quiet," Inuyasha complained. "It's better to fight a ghost by yourself, anyway. I'll defeat him quickly, and then I'll be back. You guys, stay here." With that, Inuyasha continued down the dark hall by himself.

"Always making decisions on your own," Shippo muttered angrily under his breath.

"That's what he said, but really he's trying to keep us from danger," Kagome replied in Inuyasha's defense.

"Really? I didn't hear him say that," Shippo pointed out.

"He's just too proud to," Kagome whispered. Suddenly, Kagome let out a startled gasp. "Wh-what's that?"

As she turned around and walked a few steps down the hall, Aang asked, "What happened, Kagome?"

"This…it can't be!" Kagome gasped. "I sense shards of the Shikon Jewel."

"What!" Shippo gasped loudly.

"There's definitely shards of the Shikon Jewel nearby," Kagome stated firmly as she turned back around to face her five companions.

"Shards of the Shikon Jewel?" Sokka repeated.

"It's what we've been looking for this whole time," Kagome revealed. "Originally, it was one sphere. But, it was broken into little shards and spread everywhere."

"If the demons use the shards, they become more powerful," Shippo added.

"I didn't know there was anything like it," Sokka openly confessed.

"I have heard of it," Zuko announced, which surprised Sokka, Katara, and Aang. "It's called the Shikon No Tama: the Jewel of Four Souls."

"That's right, Zuko," Kagome replied.

"If the demon spider has them, then…" Shippo trailed off.

"Inuyasha is in danger," Kagome realized. "Shippo, let's go."

"Okay," Shippo agreed.

"What about us, Kagome? What should we do?" Aang asked curiously.

"Wait here," Kagome instructed.

As Kagome and Shippo ran off in the direction that Inuyasha headed, Katara turned to Zuko and asked, "What exactly do you know about this Shikon Jewel, Zuko? Is it as powerful as Kagome says it is?"

"Yes, it is true. Mind you, I only know what I've been told about it. When demons and evil humans possess it, the Jewel becomes defiled. When a pure-hearted soul possesses the Jewel, it transforms and becomes pure. The Shikon Jewel has the power to be used for good or evil," Zuko explained. "So, you can see why demons are so desperate to get their slimy claws on even a single shard of the Jewel of Four Souls."

"Four Souls…what is that all about?" Sokka asked curiously.

"I'm not quite sure, but I do know what the four souls are," Zuko replied. "They are called Aramitama, Nigimitama, Kushimitama, and Sakimitama. Combined, they make up one human soul that is housed inside the heart. Aramitama represents courage, Nigimitama represents friendship, Kushimitama represents wisdom, and Sakimitama represents love."

"Well, I know you're seriously lacking when it comes to Nigimitama and Sakimitama, Zuko!" Sokka remarked teasingly.

"Shut up!" Zuko shouted angrily as he turned his head.

"I wonder if everyone is okay," Aang wondered out loud as he stared off at the pitch blackness of the hall. "It's been a while since they left us to fight the spider demon."

"I'm glad that they're concerned about our safety, even though we just met…but we don't want to be in their way, right?" Sokka asked.

"You're right, Sokka. We should help them," Katara agreed.

Suddenly, the four heard Inuyasha exclaim loudly, "What is this?"

"AAAHH!" a high-pitched feminine scream echoed from down the hall.

"That was Kagome!" Aang gasped out loud as he quickly stood up.

"What happened to them? Do you think they're okay?" Katara asked worriedly.

"We better go check on them. They may require our help," Zuko suggested as he ran down the hall, followed by Sokka, Aang, and Katara. About halfway down the hall, the four children came across a doorway.

"Do you think they're in there?" Aang asked out loud.

"Only one way to find out!" Zuko announced as he brazenly ran through the doorway, followed closely behind by the others. What they saw in that room stopped all four of them dead in their tracks. Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kagome were all down on the floor, surrounded by sticky white spider webs.

"Is everyone okay?" Katara asked curiously as she stepped forward a bit. It was then that she saw the massive spider demon, which was bigger than a canyon dweller. It had six long hairy spider legs tipped with large white claws, a burgundy thorax, sinister green eyes, straight grayish-purple hair, a mouth full of sharp pointed teeth, and a pair of long yellow horns on top of its head.

"Well, well, there's still more of you," the spider demon realized. "Since you've escaped being captured, you should run away. Do you really want me to suck your blood?"

"Shut up!" Zuko shouted, trying to show a brave front.

"Hahaha! How stupid!" the spider demon remarked as he spat out a glowing green ball at the four children.

"Ahh!" Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Zuko screamed simultaneously as they all fell to the floor.

"He's using powers from the shards of the Shikon Jewel. You can't win, you have to run away," Inuyasha shouted.

"Muahahahah!" the spider demon chuckled evilly.

"If we run away, he'll kill them all. There has to be something we can do," Sokka muttered thoughtfully.

"But, what can we do, Sokka?" Katara asked a bit weakly, clearly still under the effects of the spider demon's attack.

"Sokka, look! Up there!" Aang announced as he pointed at a large chunk of rock protruding out of the wall right above the spider demon, which had a distinct shimmer to it that Sokka had only seen once before.

"It's a Serpentine rock like Grandma Kakuju was talking about!" Sokka gasped as he slowly stood up. "I can still save them."

"Give up, little man? Well then, I'm gonna eat you first," the spider demon announced.

"You idiot! Why are you standing there? Run! Run away!" Inuyasha shouted.

"You have to run away, Sokka!" Kagome shouted.

"Quickly, run away!" Shippo shouted. Just then, the spider demon spat out another ball of glowing green energy directly at Sokka, which he barely avoided.

"Oh, flame, burning bright!" Sokka chanted as he held his left hand out in front of him, with his right hand at his side. As he spoke, the bright red light of the Shikigami engulfed him and soon flooded the entire room. When the light eventually disappeared, all of the spider's webs that surrounded Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo were completely gone.

"Wh-what?" the spider demon stuttered out of shock.

"Aaahh!" Kagome gasped softly when she realized what had happened.

"I'm free from the web!" Shippo exclaimed happily as he, Inuyasha, and Kagome stood up, along with Katara, Aang, and Zuko.

"Great! Now we can get him!" Inuyasha announced.

"Damn you all! I'm going to drink everyone's blood!" the spider demon shouted angrily as he jumped up high in the air.

"Watch it!" Inuyasha shouted as he, Kagome, Shippo, Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Zuko ran towards the wall, barely avoiding the spider demon as he landed on the floor in a body slam that shook the old temple down to its foundation.

"Is everyone okay?" Kagome asked out of concern as she looked around at everyone.

"Never been better!" Zuko remarked sarcastically. Aang quickly got up and ran at incredible speeds towards the demon spider, with staff in hand.

"Hyah!" Aang shouted as he swung his staff as hard as he could, which created an intense wind that pushed the demon spider back quite a bit. The demon spider found himself teetering on his hind legs, but he soon regained his balance and landed back on all six legs.

"Come on, Katara! Let's get him! Fire Bombs!" Shippo shouted as he threw a handful of firecrackers at the demon spider, followed by Katara striking the demon in the face with the water whip.

"Damn it! You'll all pay for this!" the demon spider proclaimed as he took in a deep breath.

"Watch it!" Inuyasha shouted as the demon spider shot out several thick strands of sticky white spider webs at everyone. Within moments, all seven of them were suspended ten feet in the air by the sticky webs.

"I can't move!" Shippo exclaimed loudly as he struggled to free himself from the spider webs.

"Ha, ha, ha! I think I'll start with a little snack first!" the demon spider remarked as he started to walk towards Shippo.

Unknown to the demon spider, Zuko had managed to free his right hand and was burning away the webs attached to his body. Once he had freed himself, Zuko used the webs to quickly climb back down to the floor.

"Ahh! Someone help me!" Shippo screamed fearfully when he saw that the demon spider was just a few feet away from him.

Just as the demon spider was about to start climbing up the web, he suddenly felt a strong surge of heat on his back. When he turned around, the demon spider was surprised to see that not only was Zuko free, but so were Sokka, Katara, and Aang.

"W-what? How did you get out?" the demon spider demanded loudly.

"I'd be more than willing to show you!" Zuko remarked smugly as he got down low, spun around a few times, and kicked his foot out at the demon spider, releasing a large blast of fire at the demon.

While Zuko was fighting the demon spider, Inuyasha had freed his right hand and was using his sharp claws to tear away the webs from his body. Once he was free, Inuyasha withdrew the Tetsusaiga and used it to cut Kagome and Shippo loose from their sticky predicaments.

"There's no time to waste. We have to help them," Shippo announced as he pointed at the demon spider, who had Zuko, Katara, Sokka, and Aang up against the wall. Kagome nodded in agreement as she picked up her bow and quiver, which had fallen to the floor when the demon spider attacked them earlier with the sticky webbing.

"Please…hit the mark," Kagome muttered under her breath as she fired an arrow at the demon spider, which struck him in one of his six legs and caused him to drop down to his knees. "Yes!" she cheered triumphantly to herself as the demon spider struggled a little bit to get back up.

"Come on…help me out, Shikigami!" Sokka muttered a bit worriedly to himself as he managed to throw a glowing red orb right at the demon spider's face.

"Ahh! My eyes!" the demon spider cried out painfully as he closed his eyes tightly and shook his head violently.

"Hey, I did it!" Sokka gasped out of surprise.

"Hey, that was pretty good! I'm surprised!" Inuyasha commented as he approached the temporarily blinded demon spider.

"See how you like this!" Inuyasha remarked as he held the Tetsusaiga out in front of him, gripping the handle tightly with both hands.

"Huh?" Aang gasped when he saw something unusual going on in front of the demon spider. A dark swirling cloud had mysteriously appeared in front of the large demon, along with a large swirl of wind. As the two swirls made contact with one another, a glowing white fissure appeared between the two of them.

_What is that?_ Aang wondered to himself. _I've never seen anything like it!_ He looked over at Sokka, Katara, and Zuko, and soon realized by the looks on their faces that they couldn't see what was going on.

"WIND SCAR!" Inuyasha shouted as he lifted the Tetsusaiga high above his head and swung it as hard as he could in the demon spider's direction. Aang saw that Inuyasha had struck the fissure straight on, unleashing a powerful energy that headed right for the demon spider.

_That fissure…it must be the Wind Scar! That was so cool!_ Aang thought to himself.

"AARGHHH!" the demon spider screamed loudly out of pain as the power of the Wind Scar tore his body apart piece by piece, which soon disintegrated into a large demonic aura and disappeared completely.

"Phew…is everyone okay?" Sokka asked curiously as he glanced about the room.

"Yes, I think so. Thank you for helping us before, Sokka. I thought we were done for," Kagome openly confessed.

"That was really dangerous. What were you thinking?" Shippo exclaimed loudly.

"Oh, shut up, Shippo. Everyone's safe now. That's all that matters," Inuyasha pointed out as he sheathed the Tetsusaiga.

"You can at least say thanks," Shippo suggested.

"That's not necessary, really. I was just glad I could help even a little," Sokka protested as he held his hands up.

"Gee, you're so modest," Zuko retorted under his breath.

"Well…I guess you aren't totally useless after all, Sokka," Inuyasha confessed.

"What?" Sokka gasped, feeling a bit insulted.

"That's his way of saying thank you. He's just angry," Shippo explained.

"I see," Sokka replied.

"Just shut up, Shippo," Inuyasha complained.

Katara giggled a bit to herself as she aimlessly gazed about the room. "Huh?" she gasped.

"What?" Inuyasha asked when he noticed the alarmed look in Katara's eyes.

"Something's moving over there," Katara announced as she pointed at a large pulsating ball of spider webbing on the left side of the room. "It looks like a spider's cocoon."

"Oh, no…it's not a spider's egg, is it?" Kagome asked a bit worriedly.

"Please don't say that, Kagome!" Katara pleaded.

"What are you so afraid of?" Inuyasha retorted as he approached the cocoon, followed by the others.

Once he reached the cocoon, Inuyasha withdrew the Tetsusaiga and, with one fluid motion, sliced the cocoon in half. To everyone's surprise, instead of a spider's egg, there was a little girl inside the cocoon with shoulder-length dark brown hair and a small ponytail secured with a red hair band, who was wearing a red-and-white kimono, a wide pink sash tied around her waist, and sandals.

"That was scary! Thank you so much!" the little girl gushed happily.

"Are you okay? Does anything hurt?" Kagome asked curiously as she approached the little girl and looked her over for any obvious injuries.

"It was a little painful, but I'm okay," the little girl replied.

"Is your name Sachi?" Aang asked curiously.

"Yes, but how do you know?" the little girl asked curiously.

"Your mom and dad asked us to find you," Katara explained.

"I'm glad you're safe now. What a relief!" Shippo openly confessed.

"At least he hadn't eaten you yet. Let's go, everyone," Inuyasha announced.

As Inuyasha sheathed the Tetsusaiga, Zuko noticed that Kagome had left the group and knelt down at the spot where the spider demon once stood. He saw that Kagome was picking up a couple of shards of what appeared to be pink glass.

_Those must be the shards of the Shikon Jewel that Kagome spoke of,_ Zuko thought to himself. He was a bit surprised when the shards glowed briefly in Kagome's hand before she placed them in a small glass vial she pulled out of her pocket.

"Kagome, are you ready to go or what?" Inuyasha asked a bit impatiently.

"Okay," Kagome simply replied as she pocketed the glass vial and rejoined everyone…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**DC:** Hey, I just wanted to explain something real quick. That move that Zuko uses on the demon spider, it's my attempt to describe that move he used in "Winter Solstice, Part One: The Spirit World," near the end when he reunites with Iroh and they fight off the Earth Kingdom soldiers together. I think my description's kinda lame, so this is why I have this quick note here, just in case.


	9. Return to Akebi Village

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Nine: Return to Akebi Village**

"Are we there yet?" Sachi asked curiously as she looked up at Katara, who was walking alongside the little girl.

"We're almost back to Akebi Village, Sachi. Just be patient," Katara told Sachi.

"I'm so happy! I can't wait to see my mom and dad again!" Sachi openly admitted.

"And I know they can't wait to see you, too, Sachi," Katara pointed out with a small smile. As the eight travelers continued along the path leading back to Akebi Village, Zuko trailed behind everyone else, deep in thought.

"Excuse me, Kagome? May I ask you something?" Zuko asked as he tapped Kagome's shoulder to get her attention.

"Yes, what is it, Zuko?" Kagome asked curiously as she turned around to face Zuko.

"Kagome…are you some sort of priestess?" Zuko asked curiously.

"Huh? Well, sorta…" Kagome trailed off as she walked alongside Zuko. "I mean, I'm believed to be the reincarnation of a priestess from this era who died fifty years ago. Why do you ask, Zuko?"

"Well, I noticed back at the old temple, when you picked up those Shikon Jewel shards left behind by the spider demon, they became instantly purified by your touch," Zuko explained. "As far as I know, only a powerful priest or priestess would have the ability to purify."

"Yeah, that's true. When she was alive, she was a powerful priestess," Kagome revealed. "She was actually responsible for taking the Shikon Jewel under her care, but she ended up losing her life trying to protect it."

"That's a shame, really. What else do you know about this priestess, Kagome?" Zuko inquired curiously.

Before responding to Zuko's question, Kagome looked up at Inuyasha and could tell that, even though he wasn't looking at them, he was intently listening to their conversation. "Maybe I better not, Zuko," she whispered.

"Why not?" Zuko asked curiously.

"Let's just say that it might bring back some painful memories for some people," Kagome replied.

It was then that Zuko noticed that Kagome was looking at Inuyasha the entire time she was talking. "So, Inuyasha knew her?"

"Yes, he did. We should probably stop talking about this for now, okay?" Kagome suggested.

As Zuko nodded his head in agreement, Aang suddenly announced, "Hey, we're back in Akebi Village, everyone!" As they reached the outskirts of Akebi Village, Sachi darted ahead of everyone else.

"You should go home right away. Everyone is really worried about you, Sachi," Sokka suggested.

"Okay. Thank you so much!" Sachi admitted graciously before turning around and running down the path leading further into the village.

"That takes care of everything. Let's go now," Inuyasha announced.

"Hold on, Inuyasha. I want to make sure that Sachi made it home safely before we leave," Kagome interrupted.

"Fine, Kagome," Inuyasha reluctantly agreed as he, Kagome, Shippo, Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Zuko walked further into Akebi Village, with the four newcomers trailing behind.

"Inuyasha is so cool! That Wind Scar of his was amazing!" Aang openly admitted. "Don't you think so, Katara?"

"Yeah, it was, Aang. Inuyasha's sword is really powerful," Katara agreed.

"No, it wasn't the Tetsusaiga that was amazing, Katara. It was the Wind Scar itself," Aang pointed out.

"What are you talking about, Aang?" Sokka asked curiously. "All I saw was Inuyasha swinging the Tetsusaiga at the demon spider, and all that power was unleashed from the sword."

"That's because Inuyasha struck the Wind Scar, Sokka," Aang explained. "Maybe I'm the only one that can see it because I'm an airbender. I'm sure Inuyasha can see it, too."

"I don't quite understand what you're saying, Aang," Sokka muttered out loud.

"Okay, I'll show you. Hey, Katara, do you have any fruit left?" Aang asked curiously.

"Yeah, I think so, Aang. Let me look," Katara replied as she opened up her bag. "Let's see…I have some apples and pears left over."

"Give me an apple and a pear, Katara," Aang requested.

"Here you go," Katara replied as she gave Aang the two fruits he asked for.

"Okay, umm…let's say that this apple is a wind vortex, and this pear is a whirlpool of dark energy," Aang explained as he suspended the apple and pear inside two separate balls of swirling air. Using his airbending, Aang brought the apple and pear close together, to a point where they were almost touching.

"When the flow of dark energy collides with the wind, they create a fissure. That's the Wind Scar," Aang continued. "When Inuyasha strikes the Wind Scar with his Tetsusaiga, it unleashes that power. Kagome told me on our way here that the Wind Scar is capable of destroying a hundred demons in one strike."

"That's amazing!" Katara gasped.

"I still don't understand it," Sokka muttered out loud as he scratched his head.

"You don't understand anything," Zuko remarked.

"Shut up, Zuko!" Sokka shouted angrily.

"What are you going on about?" Inuyasha asked as he looked over his shoulder at Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko.

"Oh, I was just showing my friends what the Wind Scar looked like," Aang explained as he caught the apple and pear in his hands.

"You mean you can actually see it?" Inuyasha asked out of surprise.

"Mmm-hmm," Aang replied with a nod of his head.

"You're probably the first human I know of that can see the Wind Scar, Aang," Inuyasha commented.

"Wow…really?" Aang asked curiously, his eyes lighting up.

"Don't get too excited about it, kid," Inuyasha remarked as he turned back around. Katara soon noticed the disappointed look in Aang's eyes.

"It's okay, Aang. I'm sure he didn't mean it like that," Katara tried to convince the young airbender.

As they reached Sachi's house, Katara recognized the same man she spoke to about the demon spider, who was still standing next to the doorway of Sachi's house. "So, you guys were the ones that helped Sachi?" he asked.

"Yes, we did," Katara replied.

"Thank you so much! Come inside and meet Sachi's family," the man suggested as he gestured towards the open doorway.

"Thank you, sir," Katara admitted as she, Aang, Sokka, Zuko, Kagome, Shippo, and Inuyasha entered the house, where they found Sachi's parents and Sachi waiting for them inside.

"Hi, everyone. I'm glad to see you all came back safely," Sachi's mother admitted.

"Thank you so much. My daughter told me all about what happened. We were waiting for the chance to thank you," Sachi's father replied.

"You shouldn't have any more problems with demons for now, right, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, but only because we had to face great danger," Inuyasha pointed out.

"Oh, yes, it must have been so frightening," Sachi's father stated as he approached Sokka and handed him a small pouch. "This is something we would like to give you, to show our appreciation for saving our daughter. Will you accept it, please?"

"Money? I don't know if I can take this…" Sokka trailed off. He knew from the looks of the house that the family were peasants, and they could use all of the money they have earned.

"Please accept it. It is our thanks and an apology for how we treated you and your friends at first," Sachi's father explained.

"It's only a little, but perhaps it will help somehow," Sachi's mother revealed.

"But…" Sokka started to decline.

"I think we should take it," Kagome interrupted.

"You're right. I will accept it then. Thank you," Sokka replied as he bowed slightly to Sachi's parents.

"Everyone, thank you so much!" Sachi's father announced gratefully.

"Thank you!" Sachi added with a smile. Sokka felt his face become flustered as the group of seven left the house.

"Here, Katara, you hold onto this," Sokka suggested as he gave his sister the small pouch of money. "You're good at handling money."

"All right, then," Katara agreed as she placed the pouch of money into her traveling bag.

"So, since there's nothing else for us to do here, we should head back to Kaede's village," Kagome suggested.

"Hold on a minute! If it's all right with everyone, I would like to speak with Grandma Kakuju before we leave," Sokka requested.

"That's probably not such a bad idea, Sokka. Maybe she can tell you more about this Shikigami power you have and how to use it," Katara agreed.

"Then, let's get back to the pond," Inuyasha replied as the group headed down the path leading to the pond, where they had first encountered the elderly woman…

"Look, she's still here!" Aang exclaimed as he pointed at Kakuju standing at the edge of the pond.

"Grandma Kakuju, we're back from the old temple!" Sokka announced.

"Well, you haven't been gone long, but you've already experienced so much," Kakuju openly admitted as she turned around to face Sokka, Katara, Aang, Zuko, Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kagome. "It looks like you've learned how to use the power of Shikigami much better now. Tell me what happened."

"Well…" Sokka started to tell the elderly woman…

"I'm surprised that you defeated the spider. You've gotten much better at using the power of Shikigami," Kakuju realized after hearing what had happened at the old temple. "But I have a premonition that you will be fighting many more demons from now on. But, there's hope."

"What a stupid old woman!" Inuyasha retorted loudly.

"You're so rude, Inuyasha! Sorry, Kakuju," Kagome apologized.

"That's okay," Kakuju simply replied as she turned around to face the pond. "There are many different uses for Shikigami. It can do more than just break rocks. You can use it when you're fighting." She then turned back around and looked directly at Sokka.

"If you want to learn the power of Shikigami to help you when you fight, come stand beside me," Kakuju instructed. "And close your eyes and be very still."

"Okay," Sokka replied as he approached Kakuju and stood right beside her. Once again, the red glow of the Shikigami power emerged from his body.

"Now you have learned to call upon the power of Shikigami when you fight," Kakuju announced.

"Hey, Granny, is this for real! That's cool!" Aang exclaimed loudly out of excitement.

"Now, I will teach you how to use the power of Shikigami when you are fighting," Kakuju continued.

"Yes, please," Sokka replied eagerly…

"Do you think you've learned how to use Shikigami in a fight?" Kakuju asked curiously.

"I'm still a little uncertain, but I'm pretty sure I got it," Sokka admitted.

"That's good for now. Soon, you will be able to completely control it," Kakuju revealed. "After you gain more experience and learn to use it efficiently, not only will you be able to use it when you fight, but you will also learn to use the many different powers of the Shikigami."

"Really?" Sokka asked curiously.

"Yes, really," Kakuju replied with a soft chuckle. "You should go now. I'm sure we'll meet again."

"Okay, thank you, Grandma Kakuju," Sokka replied as he bowed respectively to the elderly woman.

"We should get going now, Sokka," Kagome suggested. "We'll go back to Kaede's village and get some rest."

"Okay, Kagome," Sokka agreed. "Goodbye, Grandma Kakuju. Thank you for all your help."

"You're very welcome, Sokka. Goodbye and good luck to all of you," Kakuju replied as the group of seven started to walk away from the pond…


	10. A Familiar Face

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Ten: A Familiar Face**

"Oh, you've come back," Kaede realized as the group of seven entered her home just as it was getting dark.

"We're back, Kaede!" Aang announced.

"So, did you find any clues?" Kaede inquired curiously.

"No, not really," Sokka reluctantly admitted.

"But, Sokka learned how to use the power of Shikigami," Shippo announced. "Just as Inuyasha was about to get killed, he was saved with the Shikigami power."

"Oh, shut up, Shippo!" Inuyasha shouted angrily.

"No, it just freed everyone and that was all," Sokka revealed. "I have so much to learn, or I'll just slow everyone down."

"Even if it takes time, don't push yourself so hard. Be patient," Kaede told Sokka. "I'm sure you're all very tired, so it's probably best if you go to bed now."

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired," Shippo agreed a bit groggily.

"I agree. Well, good night, Kaede," Kagome replied as she walked further into the hut, soon followed by the others…

"Hey, Inuyasha. Should we take the day off today?" Kagome asked Inuyasha curiously. Everyone had gathered in the main room of Kaede's house after breakfast to discuss what they should do for the day, with the exception of Kaede, who had left earlier to aid a sick child in the village.

"The day off?" Inuyasha repeated.

"What's up, Kagome?" Shippo asked curiously.

"Our friends here must be exhausted, since everything is so new," Kagome explained, referring to Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko. "I thought we could take it easy today."

"I see. You're so nice, Kagome. I agree," Shippo openly admitted.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Aang agreed as he nodded his head.

"But, I don't think it's a good idea for us to split up," a familiar voice announced.

"Huh? Oh, it's Myoga," Inuyasha realized when he recognized the tiny demon flea standing at his feet.

"It's been a while, Inuyasha. I agree with Kagome's last suggestion," Myoga admitted. "There are demons all around. We should make teams before we take off, just in case."

"I agree with Myoga. We don't want to get into any trouble," Kagome replied.

"So, let's make up two teams and go about our day," Shippo suggested.

"Agreed! What do you think, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Well…sure, why not?" Inuyasha hesitantly agreed.

"Really! It's decided, then. So, who do you want to travel with today, Katara?" Kagome asked curiously.

"I'll go with you, Inuyasha," Katara announced.

"Same here," Sokka added.

"I guess I'll go with you two, then," Inuyasha reluctantly agreed.

"It's been awhile, so I think I'll go collect chestnuts," Shippo announced as he stood up.

"Me, too," Kagome added as she stood up as well. As they headed for the doorway, Aang quickly stood up and joined Kagome and Shippo.

"Oh, I love chestnuts! Can I come with you?" Aang pleaded.

"Sure, Aang, you can come," Kagome replied with a smile as Zuko got up.

"I suppose I'll join you as well," Zuko revealed. As Kagome, Shippo, Aang, and Zuko left the house, Inuyasha stood up, along with Katara and Sokka.

"Inuyasha, can you please help me with something?" Katara requested as the three of them left Kaede's house.

"With what?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

"I'm looking for a certain herb that Kaede told me about," Katara explained. "Can you help me find it with your nose? It has a peculiar smell, so you shouldn't have any problem finding it with your nose."

"Is that right? What a pain in the butt," Inuyasha muttered under his breath. "Fine, I'll help you."

"Okay. Kaede said that we can find this herb in the forest near here," Katara replied as she, Sokka, and Inuyasha headed for the woods…

"Can you find it?" Katara asked curiously. She and Sokka were standing along one side of the trail they were on, while Inuyasha was on the opposite side of the trail on his hands and knees, sniffing at the plants growing along the edge of the trail.

"Be patient, Katara. I can kind of smell it," Inuyasha announced as he continued to sniff at the plants like an animal would.

"Ha, ha, ha. He's very serious about this, huh, Katara?" Sokka chuckled softly.

"He sure is," Katara agreed as she glanced about aimlessly. "Huh? Hey, wait a minute…" she muttered softly as she spotted a particular plant behind her. She knelt down and pulled out the plant from the ground. "Um…actually…Inuyasha!"

"Don't bother me! I said I'm looking for it!" Inuyasha shouted a bit irritably as he continued sniffing around.

"But, Inuyasha, I found it," Katara announced as she held out the plant she just picked.

Inuyasha stopped what he was doing, stood back up, and turned around to face Katara and Sokka. "What?" he exclaimed.

"Sorry about that, Inuyasha," Katara apologized. "Thank you for your help, though."

"What a waste of time! Well, I'm glad you found it," Inuyasha replied. "But it really doesn't smell like much from here."

"Yes, you have to squish it a little first. See?" Katara explained as she removed one of the leaves from the plant and crushed it a little bit in her hand.

"Let's see. Huh!" Inuyasha gasped loudly with an alarmed look on his face.

"What's wrong, Inuyasha?" Katara asked curiously as Inuyasha quickly covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve.

"You fool! Get that away from me!" Inuyasha complained loudly.

"But, why? It smells good," Sokka pointed out.

"It doesn't matter, just take it and go away. Now!" Inuyasha demanded as he pointed down the path back to Kaede's village with his free hand.

"Okay, we're going," Sokka replied as he and Katara headed back to Kaede's village. "Geez, what's his problem?"

"Well, Inuyasha's sense of smell is much more sensitive than ours, Sokka," Katara reminded her older brother. "While the herb smelled pretty strong to us, it must have been painful to Inuyasha's sensitive nose."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Sokka muttered out loud…

"So, what now? We can't just stay here," Zuko pointed out as everyone left Kaede's house the next day.

"Before we go anywhere, we need to get supplies first from the merchant's stand, Zuko," Kagome explained.

As Sokka ran ahead of everyone, he noticed a stranger standing near the merchant's stand. He was a young heavy-set man with short black hair, and he was wearing a dark purple and purple-gray striped kimono, a thin dark blue sash, dark blue pants, sandals, and a dark orange bandana tied around his head.

"Hey, you! Did you know you can get some really tasty cakes around here?" the plump stranger addressed Sokka.

"What a large person," Sokka muttered under his breath as the others joined him.

"He's just fat!" Zuko remarked. Katara quickly nudged Zuko in the arm where there was no armor, silently warning him with her eyes to keep his comments to himself.

"Um…cakes? I don't know, we've only just arrived," Sokka explained.

"I see. You don't know. Hmmmm…Hmmm?" the plump man gasped slightly as he looked directly at Sokka. "Hey, I've seen you before. Now, where was it?"

"Umm…I don't know you, sir, but where did you see me?" Sokka asked curiously.

"Hmmm…where was it?" the plump man wondered out loud. "Oh, yes! In Kasasagi Town!"

"But, I don't know where that town is. This is the first time I've heard that name," Sokka explained.

"No mistake…Kasasagi Town. That's where I saw your face," the plump man revealed.

"I'm getting tired just listening to him," Kagome muttered under her breath. She took a deep breath before announcing, "Okay, so let's go get those supplies, and then we'll go back to Kaede's house and gather the rest of our things."

"Oh, you know of Priestess Kaede? Will you tell her that Kimbei stop by?" the plump young man requested. "I'd go myself, but I'm afraid I must be on my way."

"Okay, we'll tell her. Nice meeting you, Kimbei," Aang replied as Kimbei started to leave…

"This will definitely last us for a while," Katara openly admitted as she carried her full traveling bag back into Kaede's house, followed by Sokka, Aang, and Zuko.

"Yeah, definitely," Kagome agreed as she entered the hut with her full backpack strapped over her shoulders, along with Inuyasha and Shippo. Just as Kagome took his backpack off and placed it on the floor, Kaede had returned to her home.

"Hey, Kaede!" Aang greeted.

"Good morning to you all," Kaede replied.

"So, how's that sick little boy you went to see the other day?" Kagome asked curiously.

"He's doing just fine, Kagome. A few more days rest, and he'll be back outside playing with the other children," Kaede replied.

"Oh, Kaede, we met someone named Kimbei by the merchant's stand," Aang announced.

"Kimbei, aye…I remember that young man. Kimbei used to live in this village years ago, when he was still a child," Kaede recalled.

"And not only that, Kaede, but Kimbei claims that he's seen Sokka before in a place called Kasasagi Town," Katara revealed.

"Well, well, Kimbei says he saw you before," Kaede addressed Sokka.

"Yes, he said he's seen me before. But, I've never been to Kasasagi Town," Sokka pointed out.

"He's definitely a bit of a gluttonous young man," Kaede openly admitted. "But, he's no liar."

"Hmm…I wonder where he's seen me…" Sokka muttered thoughtfully.

"If it really bothers you, why don't you go to Kasasagi Town?" Kaede suggested.

"I guess so. There isn't much to do around here anyway," Kagome pointed out. "And in the city, we can hear stories about the shards of the Shikon Jewel."

"Are you talking about those sparkling crystals that the demon spider had?" Aang asked curiously.

"Yes," Kagome simply replied.

"But, it's asking a lot to have you come with us to Kasasagi Town," Sokka pointed out.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Sokka," Kagome replied.

"But I don't want to slow you down," Sokka declined.

"Slow us down?" Kagome repeated.

"Sokka, what are you saying?" Katara asked curiously. "You know that we don't know our way around here. We need their help."

"What are you guys going on and on about?" Inuyasha asked a bit suspiciously as he held his hands behind his head. "If we're going to go to Kasasagi Town, we'd better get going."

"You're going to come, too, Inuyasha?" Aang asked curiously.

"Hey, don't get me wrong. It's only 'cause I'll do anything to find the shards of the Shikon Jewel," Inuyasha openly confessed.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," Sokka replied as everyone started to gather their belongings for the journey…


	11. Sokka Gets Arrested

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Eleven: Sokka Gets Arrested**

"This is Kasasagi Town," Kagome announced as they reached the outskirts of the city. "It's the biggest city around here and they sell pretty much everything you need for traveling."

"Hey, do you think they sell any juice here?" Shippo asked curiously.

"Why would they sell anything like that?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically as he looked around at the many people standing about the streets of Kasasagi Town. "There sure are a lot of people here."

"Yes, I think we should split up and ask around," Kagome suggested.

"It'll get dark before we can ask everyone," Inuyasha pointed out.

"So, we'll ask around and then meet back here?" Sokka suggested.

"Right," Kagome agreed. "The city is big, so be careful not to get lost."

While Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippo, and Zuko ventured ahead; Sokka, Katara, and Aang stuck close together as they walked down the street.

"I'll stop at this market and ask around. Besides, we're running low on supplies," Katara announced as she gestured towards a store.

"I'll go with you, Katara," Aang offered.

"I guess I'll go ahead. See you later," Sokka replied as he turned left and continued walking, while Aang and Katara entered the store.

Sokka soon reached a part of town where there was an inn and a notice board next to the inn's entrance. Two men were gathered at the notice board, one with short black hair and bangs, and the other with his long black hair in a ponytail. The young man with the short hair was wearing brown pants, a dark brown sash, a pale lavender kimono, white socks, and sandals. The other man was wearing a full-length gray kimono with black six-point stars covering it, white socks, and sandals. Standing across the street was a young woman with her long black hair tied back into a ponytail with a purple hair band. She was wearing a full-length purple-and-pale purple kimono and sandals.

Sokka was about to approach the young woman when she suddenly turned around and faced him. "Listen for a sec!" she whispered loudly to Sokka. "We're finally alone together, but…" She then approached the young man dressed in the pale lavender kimono and brown pants. "Jinkichi, how long are you going to be looking at that?"

"Just look! There's a wanted poster for this kid!" Jinkichi announced, with his eyes still fixed on the notice board.

The young woman threw her hands up out of frustration. "Oh, you're such a loser!" she complained as she walked back towards Sokka. "We finally get to be alone together, but…" she trailed off.

"A kid on a wanted poster?" Sokka muttered out loud as he walked over the notice board to take a look for himself. He barely got a glimpse at the notice board when Sokka noticed that the man the young woman addressed as Jinkichi was staring right at him.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" Sokka asked curiously.

"Hey, I've seen you somewhere before," Jinkichi muttered thoughtfully.

"Me? Where?" Sokka inquired.

"I've seen your face somewhere…" Jinkichi trailed off. His eyes widened out of surprise as he tapped the arm of the other man standing nearby in the gray kimono. "Hey, Genkichi, look! It's the boy on the wanted poster!" he announced, which got Genkichi's immediate attention and completely stunned Sokka.

"No, that's not true!" Sokka denied as he glanced over at the wanted poster. He was shocked beyond words when he saw his face outlined in black ink on the wanted poster.

As Sokka stared at the wanted poster in disbelief, Jinkichi shouted, "M'lord! M'lord! The boy on the wanted poster is here!"

Almost immediately, three guards approached them and surrounded Sokka. The guards were all dressed in identical uniforms, consisting of black kimonos with a broad white stripe running across the chest and down the sleeves, maroon pants, sandals, and white headbands tied around their foreheads.

"Get the kid!" Genkichi shouted.

"Don't let the kid get away!" Jinkichi added.

One of the guards approached Sokka and looked him over. "You're the boy on the wanted poster," he realized. "Come here."

"Stop it! Ouch!" Sokka cried out when the guard grabbed him roughly by his right arm. "What are you doing? Let me go!" he protested loudly as the three guards took him away…

Sokka now found himself outside of a large house with an outdoor sitting area, a dividing wall made of bamboo, and a small pond. The entire grounds were completely fenced in. Sokka assumed by his surroundings that the guards had brought him to the home of the village headman.

Just then, an older man with his black hair in a small ponytail stepped out into the open doorway leading into the house, who Sokka believed was the headman. The headman was wearing a light gray kimono, a light brown vest, brown pants, white socks, and sandals.

"Well, well, it's the boy from the wanted poster," the headman commented.

"W-wait a minute!" Sokka complained.

"Huh? What is it?" the headman asked.

"I think you have me confused with someone else," Sokka explained. "I haven't done anything. Besides, I just came to this world."

"This world? What are you talking about?" the headman demanded.

"Well…the fact is, I have done nothing that you can accuse me of," Sokka replied.

"I don't know, but Kagura definitely wants us to catch you," the headman revealed.

"Who's Kagura?" Sokka asked curiously. "I don't know who that is."

"You wouldn't know her. She's a messenger from the castle," the headman revealed.

"Well, then she's got me confused with someone else," Sokka firmly stated.

"Are you crazy? The messenger made a mistake? No way. Impossible!" the headman gasped out of disbelief. "Stop your strange talk. And wait in jail until Kagura arrives."

The headman then turned his attention to two of his three guards. "Gonkuro, take the prisoner to his cell. And Sahei, you stand guard at the gate and let me know immediately when Kagura arrives."

"Yes, sir!" Gonkuro announced as he grabbed Sokka by his arm and took him away, while Sahei headed for the gate…

"Uhh!" Sokka groaned as Gonkuro threw him into an empty jail cell, with the hard-packed dirt floor covered with hay. He turned around just as Gonkuro locked the door to the cell.

"Behave yourself until Kagura gets here," Gonkuro cautioned Sokka before leaving him alone in the jail cell. Sokka let out a deep sigh as he fell to his knees.

"The village headman said something about Kagura. But then, why did they capture me? And they put me in jail. I shouldn't waste my time complaining. I need to get out of here, but how?" Sokka wondered aloud as he aimlessly glanced around the cell.

Just then, his eye caught a sparkle coming from one of the stone walls of the cell. Sokka stood up and approached the wall in question and gasped slightly when he saw that the entire wall had a familiar shimmer to it.

"Look at the color of this wall. Is it Serpentine rock?" Sokka muttered thoughtfully as he took a few steps back from the wall. "Oh, flame, burning bright…" he chanted.

As Sokka spoke, the bright red light of the Shikigami engulfed him and struck the wall in the form of a large ball of light. Reacting to the Shikigami power, the Serpentine rock pulsated and exploded, leaving a large hole near the bottom of the wall.

"I did it!" Sokka exclaimed. "I've got to get back to the others quickly." Sokka quickly went through the hole and ducked out of the gate of the headman's house. He was surprised that there was no one guarding the gate.

"Maybe Kagura just arrived here. The headman did tell Sahei to let him know immediately when she got here," Sokka recalled. He looked over in the direction that he came from, where the inn and the notice board were located.

"That's the quickest way back…but I can't risk going that way. Otherwise, they'll arrest me again," Sokka muttered thoughtfully. "I need to find another way around." Sokka decided to take another street and started going down it. He soon found himself in a large maze of intersecting streets and several wooden huts all neatly lined up in rows.

"This is gonna take a while…" Sokka complained with a frustrated sigh as he started to make his way through the complex maze…

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**DC:** After seeing how popular this story has become, I decided to throw a little contest every now and then. I'm calling it "Who Said That!" This is how it's gonna work: at the end of a selected chapter, I'm going to provide a quote that's going to be in the very next chapter. You have to guess who said that line, and to make it a little more challenging, you also have to guess who that character's speaking to. The first three people to guess both characters right will win, and the prize will be…an advanced copy of the newest chapter of SCM! The winners will get the copy via email exactly three days before I officially post that chapter on FFN for everyone to read. The length of the contests will vary, depending on how difficult the quotes may be. You just have to post your answer on a review for the chapter that I posted the quote on. For example, if I have a quote listed at the end of Chapter 12, you must post your answer by doing a review for Chapter 12. Also, please let me know what you think of the idea. If a lot of people like it, I'll go through with it. If not, I won't. Simple as that. I'll be posting the first quote soon, so keep an eye out!


	12. Sneaking into the Headman's House

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Twelve: Sneaking into the Headman's House**

"Oh, great! You're here!" Kagome exclaimed as Sokka rejoined everyone at the outskirts of Kasasagi Town.

"Hey, are you okay?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry to keep everyone waiting," Sokka apologized.

"There are wanted posters of you everywhere, Sokka! We were getting worried," Aang openly confessed.

"I know, Aang. Because of those posters, I got caught by the village headman's guards," Sokka revealed.

"I thought so. Well, I'm glad you made it back safely, Sokka," Kagome openly admitted.

"But, I wonder why there are wanted posters of you?" Katara wondered out loud.

"I know, Katara. It seems that someone named Kagura brought them here," Sokka replied. His response to Katara's question brought a startled look to both Kagome and Shippo's faces.

"What? Kagura!" Inuyasha exclaimed loudly.

"Kagura? Could it be that Kagura?" Shippo wondered aloud.

"You know her?" Sokka prodded curiously. "They said she is a messenger from the castle."

"Yes. Do you remember the story about the shards of the Shikon Jewel?" Kagome asked.

"The thing that makes demons stronger if they use it?" Katara recalled.

"Yes, that's right. There's an evil demon named Naraku that can't wait for a chance to get his hands on the Shikon Jewel," Kagome explained.

"An evil demon, you say?" Zuko spoke up, who was leaning against a nearby fence and was silent up until that moment.

"He likes to bully and hurt people. He's evil," Shippo pointed out.

"I've fought him many times, but he always escapes. He's the most evil demon of them all," Inuyasha added with a grim expression on his face.

"I see," Sokka muttered out loud.

"And Kagura is Naraku's female incarnation," Kagome continued.

"Female incarnation?" Sokka repeated. "Does that mean Kagura is bad, too?"

"She uses the wind and possesses the dead. She's disgusting," Inuyasha revealed.

"Oh, that's just horrible," Katara gasped as she brought a hand to her mouth.

"But why is she looking for me?" Sokka asked curiously.

"If they went as far as putting up wanted posters of you, maybe it has something to do with you coming to this world," Kagome muttered thoughtfully.

"I agree. It sounds like something Naraku would do," Shippo piped in.

"Well, since Kagura's on her way here, we might as well stick around," Inuyasha announced.

"Yes, I want to find out what this is all about," Sokka agreed.

"And the sooner we get to the bottom of this, the sooner we can go home," Zuko added.

"Okay, then let's go to the village headman's house," Inuyasha suggested.

"We'll have to take another route, otherwise those men that turned me in will see me and realized I've escaped," Sokka explained.

"Well, lead the way, Sokka," Kagome insisted.

"All right, then. Follow me, everyone," Sokka announced as he led the way…

After a rather long walk through the maze of wooden huts, the seven travelers found themselves outside of the gate leading to the headman's house.

"Well…this is it…" Sokka trailed off.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Sokka?" Zuko asked a bit impatiently as he shoved Sokka forward.

"Fine, I'm going!" Sokka muttered out loud. He took a deep breath before approaching the guard on duty, whom he recognized as Sahei.

"Hello…I would like to see the village headman," Sokka announced.

"Hey, where have I seen you before?" Sahei muttered thoughtfully as he looked over Sokka. "It can't be! You're the boy on the wanted poster."

"Oh, no! They're gonna catch me again," Sokka gasped as he backed away from Sahei.

"Let's escape to the edge of the city for now," Shippo suggested as he, Kagome, Inuyasha, Aang, Zuko, Katara, and Sokka ran down the street towards the maze of huts.

"Hey, get back here!" Sahei shouted as he ran after them…

"Phew! That was close!" Aang gasped as he leaned against a small wooden tool shed. The group had lost Sahei in the maze of houses and had reached a small unused lot at the other end of Kasasagi Town, which was only occupied by the tool shed.

"Gaah. Why do I have to keep running away?" Inuyasha complained loudly.

"Well, they're humans, Inuyasha. It's not like you can fight them," Kagome pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right, but…" Inuyasha trailed off.

"Hmm…it doesn't seem like we'll be able to meet Kagura," Zuko reluctantly admitted.

"What to do?" Shippo wondered aloud.

"Well, why don't you pretend to turn me in?" Sokka suggested.

"What?" Kagome gasped out of surprise.

"From what we've seen, if you say that you caught me, you can easily get into the headman's house," Sokka explained.

"I see!" Shippo realized. "We pretend that we are from this city and say that we caught you, and we'll be able to get in, no problem!"

"Right," Sokka replied.

"Are you sure about this, Sokka?" Katara asked curiously. "It sounds pretty risky."

"Yeah, and it could be dangerous, too," Kagome added.

"It's pretty dangerous to take you right into his house," Inuyasha pointed out.

"But…" Sokka trailed off.

"Wait a minute. Hey, Shippo, why don't you transform yourself?" Inuyasha asked as he looked directly at the little fox demon.

"What!" Shippo exclaimed.

"Wait a second," Sokka started to protest.

"Even if they tie you up and put you in jail, you can still get out if you have to," Inuyasha told Shippo.

"It seems I always get the worst end of the deal," Shippo complained.

"That's a great idea! Nobody can figure out Shippo's disguises," Kagome openly admitted.

"There's no one else but you, Shippo, that can do this," Inuyasha pointed out.

"Really?" Shippo asked a bit nervously.

"Will you do it, please, Shippo?" Katara requested.

"Alright! I'll do it!" Shippo agreed as he stepped back from everyone, held a leaf over his head, and started to work his fox magic on himself…

"Wow, what a perfect transformation!" Kagome gasped softly out of astonishment. Shippo had successfully transformed into an exact duplicate of Sokka, down to the very last detail.

"Yeah, he looks exactly like Sokka!" Aang exclaimed as he and Katara looked over Shippo in amazement.

"Even I have to admit that I'm impressed with your skill, Shippo," Zuko added.

Just then, the real Sokka came out from behind the shed and rejoined them. He was wearing a green kimono and matching green pants over his clothes, which he had found folded up in a bundle inside the tool shed.

"This is kinda weird," Sokka openly confessed as he looked at Shippo, which was like looking at a long-lost twin brother.

"R-really? Then no one will be able to see through my fox magic?" Sokka's double asked curiously in Shippo's voice.

"You've come this far and you're scared now?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically.

Shippo started to walk away from the group, but then he turned around and announced bravely, "I'm not scared! Now, let's go!"

As everyone started back towards the headman's house, Katara giggled slightly.

"What's so funny, Katara?" Sokka asked curiously.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't laugh…but I thought it was funny, Shippo's voice coming out of your mouth!" Katara explained.

"That's not me, Katara, you know that!" Sokka complained.

"I know, Sokka, but still…" Katara trailed off…

"Okay, Shippo. Good luck!" Sokka told his look-alike. The group was now standing in front of the gate leading to the headman's house. Fortunately, for them, neither Sahei nor any of the other guards were nowhere in sight at the moment.

"Inuyasha, you should stay here for now," Kagome suggested.

"Okay, but be sure to call me if anything happens," Inuyasha pointed out as he ran back in the direction they came and disappeared behind one of the wooden huts.

"Kagome, why doesn't Inuyasha transform himself?" Aang asked curiously.

"Inuyasha can't do it as well," Kagome explained.

"He's just a half-demon," the disguised Shippo remarked.

"Anyway, I think he would just get caught if he tried to transform himself. It's better this way," Kagome continued.

"Yeah, I agree," Sokka replied.

"You guys better hide," Kagome suggested as she and the disguised Shippo approached the gate. Sokka, Katara, and Aang hid behind the fence near the entrance, but to their surprise, Zuko joined Kagome and Shippo.

"Zuko, what are you doing?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Not to offend you at all, Kagome, but the two of us turning in the boy might be more believable than just you turning him in," Zuko explained. "The people of this village probably believe that Sokka's a dangerous criminal, for someone to put up so many wanted posters of him."

"Oh, okay, I see what you mean," Kagome quickly whispered as one of the guards, who Sokka recognized as Genkichi, approached the gate.

"This is the house of the village headman. What do you want?" Genkichi demanded.

"We found the boy on the wanted poster. We came to turn him in," Zuko announced as he gestured towards the disguised Shippo.

"Hmm…I see," Genkichi muttered thoughtfully as he looked over the disguised fox demon. "It's the boy on the wanted poster. Come inside, and wait over by the white sand," he instructed.

As Genkichi walked away, Kagome commented, "That wasn't too difficult."

"Yes, I'm glad we get through smoothly," Sokka agreed as he, Katara, and Aang rejoined Kagome, Shippo, and Zuko.

"It's all because of MY acting!" Shippo boasted proudly.

"Yes, it is," Kagome agreed.

"You were great, Shippo! You had them tricked," Aang openly admitted.

"Oh, yeah!" Shippo replied smugly as the six entered the grounds of the headman. As they walked along a dividing wall, Sokka immediately stopped in his tracks, for he heard a strange buzzing sound.

"Huh?" Sokka gasped as he looked around for the source of the strange noise.

"What is it, Sokka?" Katara asked curiously.

"I hear a strange noise," Sokka explained.

Just then, a large insect flew over the top of the dividing wall. It had six black legs, a long black proboscis, large red eyes, a flesh-colored head, four transparent wings, a purple body, a mustard yellow thorax with thin black stripes, and a red stinger.

"Oh! Saimyosho!" Kagome gasped after the large insect disappeared over the fence.

"What are Saimyosho?" Zuko asked curiously.

"They're the Saimyosho that Naraku uses," Kagome explained. "If they're here, Kagura must be, too."

"It's definitely Naraku's female incarnation, Kagura," Shippo muttered out loud.

"If the Saimyosho are here, then we've probably already been found out," Kagome reluctantly admitted.

"Probably…" Shippo trailed off as he changed back into his normal form.

Suddenly, the group of six found themselves surrounded by a pair of salamander demons with gray skin and red eyes. Both demons were wearing flowing burgundy robes, purple sashes, light pink pants, and black caps.

"Aaahh!" Katara screamed fearfully.

"They found us out!" Aang shouted. Just then, they saw Inuyasha running towards them.

"Oh, Inuyasha!" Sokka gasped out of relief as the half-demon rejoined them.

"I saw the Saimyosho fly by, so I came right away," Inuyasha explained. "It was exactly as I thought. Bring it on!"

Suddenly, one of the demons quickly darted forward and grabbed Sokka by his right arm.

"Ahh!" Sokka screamed out of pain as the demon threw him against the dividing wall, ripping off the kimono sleeve in the process.

"Leave my brother alone!" Katara shouted as she struck the demon's back with the water whip. To her surprise, the demon didn't react at all to Katara's attack.

"I don't think that's gonna work, Katara. Salamander monks have really thick skin," Shippo reluctantly revealed.

"Let me give it a try," Aang announced as he formed a small ball of swirling air in his hands and threw it at the salamander monk's back. Unfortunately, it didn't harm the salamander monk at all.

"I sure hope this works," Sokka muttered under his breath as he held one hand out. "Oh, flame, burning bright…" Almost instantly, a powerful blast of Shikigami power escaped from Sokka's outstretched hand, causing the salamander monk to fall on its back.

"Sokka, are you okay?" Katara asked as she, Aang, and Shippo approached Sokka.

"Yeah, I think so…" Sokka trailed off as he ruefully surveyed several tears in the green kimono and pants he was wearing over his own clothes, which were caused by the salamander monk's claws.

"Oh, no!" Katara gasped as the salamander monk got back up and charged towards her, Sokka, Aang, and Shippo.

"I'll get him! Take this!" Shippo shouted as he threw a small wooden top at the salamander monk. To the surprise of Sokka, Aang, and Katara, the spinning top quickly grew in size until it was even bigger than the salamander monk.

"Wow! How did you do that, Shippo?" Aang asked curiously as the giant top pushed the salamander monk away a good distance. "Is that more of your fox magic?"

"Sure is," Shippo confessed as the salamander monk was rammed hard into Inuyasha, who had just finished off the other salamander monk, with the help of Kagome and Zuko.

"Hey, watch it! Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!" Inuyasha shouted angrily as he quickly turned around and slashed the salamander monk into shreds. As the salamander monk's demonic aura faded away, Inuyasha noticed the wooden top lying on the ground, which had returned back to its original size.

"Shippo…" Inuyasha grumbled angrily as he glared at the little fox demon, who was hiding behind Katara's legs.

"It was an accident, Inuyasha! Please don't hurt me!" Shippo quickly apologized as he cautiously peeked out from behind Katara.

"Well, I guess there's no point in me wearing this anymore!" Sokka commented as he pulled off the green kimono over his head.

"Ah, what a relief. I didn't know what was going to happen," Aang openly confessed.

"Those demons were no problem. But it's no good sticking around if the Saimyosho are here," Inuyasha announced.

"Yes, both Naraku and Kagura can see what the Saimyosho see," Kagome revealed as Sokka took off the green pants and tossed them aside, along with the kimono.

"So, if the Saimyosho see us, that means Naraku and Kagura will know we're here?" Zuko asked curiously.

"Yes. That's why I think Kagura already knows we are here," Kagome explained as Shippo scurried forward and picked up his top.

"So, all we can do now is quickly get ourselves into the headman's house," Katara suggested.

"It's dangerous, but I guess that's our only option," Kagome agreed.

"Here I come, Kagura. You better get out of the way!" Inuyasha shouted enthusiastically as they started for the entrance to the headman's house, which was a short distance away.

"Inuyasha looks pretty excited about this," Sokka commented.

"That's because he loves to fight," Kagome replied as the seven travelers entered the headman's house.

As they walked down a hall on the left, which had an open doorway on one side to reveal the outdoor pond and sitting area, everyone gasped when they saw the headman cornered by a salamander monk and two other demons. One demon resembled the tan skeleton of a bird with a long bony tail and brown feathered wings; while the other demon was a large floating head with a pale complexion, long flowing black hair, pointed ears, black lips, and blank white eyes.

"Is that the headman?" Aang asked curiously.

"Help me!" the headman pleaded, who was cowering behind a wooden bench.

"He really doesn't deserve our help, but something doesn't feel right," Sokka muttered thoughtfully.

"Oh! He's surrounded by demons," Shippo gasped.

"Hold on a minute. I'll help you," Sokka offered as he jumped out into the outdoor sitting area, quickly followed by Aang, Katara, Zuko, Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo.

"I've got that one!" Kagome announced as she fired an arrow at the flying skeletal demon, pinning its wing against the outside wall of the house. The demon squawked loudly out of pain as it attempted to reach for the arrow with its beak.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Zuko shouted as he threw a punch at the demon, causing a blast of flames to strike the demon. The demon squealed even louder out of pain as its demonic aura faded away.

"Nice job with the skelebird, Zuko," Kagome congratulated the firebender.

"Yeah, right. That puny demon's no challenge, unlike this stupid ookubi!" Inuyasha scoffed aloud as he punched the floating head in the face.

As the ookubi shook it off, Inuyasha quickly took this opportunity to withdraw the Tetsusaiga. As Inuyasha sliced the ookubi in half, Katara had struck the salamander monk with a stream of water, followed by Aang attacking the demon with a swing of his staff.

"Get out of the way, you two!" Inuyasha warned Aang and Katara as he came running with the Tetsusaiga in hand.

The young airbender and waterbender quickly moved out of Inuyasha's way as he ran the Tetsusaiga through the salamander monk, killing it instantly. As the salamander monk's demonic aura faded away, the headman came forward from his hiding place.

"Thank you so much. I don't deserve your kindness," the headman gushed gratefully.

"Don't worry about that. But, what are you doing out here?" Sokka asked curiously.

"I was tricked by that Kagura woman," the headman revealed. "I had no idea the castle's messenger was a demon."

"Huh, Kagura. Where is she now?" Inuyasha demanded as he sheathed the Tetsusaiga.

"She's just ahead, in the back room. She tried to feed me to the demons," the headman replied.

"Just ahead, huh? Alright, let's go!" Inuyasha announced as he led the way back inside.

"It's dangerous here, so you should hide," Aang suggested to the headman before rejoining the others…

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**DC:** Just a quick note, in case you didn't know what a proboscis is. Basically, a proboscis is a needle-shaped part of the mouth of certain insects, like a mosquito and Naraku's poisonous insects, also called the Saimyosho. Also, just to clear things up, the contest I've mentioned in the last chapter, the quotes are going to be actual lines that will appear in the upcoming chapters. The first contest will begin in the next chapter, so watch for it!


	13. Kagura, the Wind Sorceress, & Utsugi

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Thirteen: Kagura, the Wind Sorceress, and Utsugi**

"This has to be it!" Inuyasha announced as he pointed out an open doorway in back of the headman's house. "Let's go!"

As the group of seven entered a back room, they encountered a woman with thick black hair tied into a small bushy ponytail and straight bangs, whose back was facing them.

"I found you, Kagura. I knew it was you," Inuyasha muttered angrily as the woman turned around to face them.

As she did so, Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Zuko got a better look at the woman known as Kagura. Her eyes were red, she had pointed ears, and she was wearing three layers of kimonos: a green one, a blue one, and a pale pink one on the outside with dark pink stripes and thin white loops decorating it. In addition, Kagura was wearing a long yellow sash around her waist, a pair of long turquoise beaded earrings tipped with black tassels, and two small white feathers tucked into the base of her ponytail. The four kids also noticed that Kagura was holding an open white folding fan with a black frame and two red stripes running across it.

"I thought I heard noises. It was you guys," Kagura stated.

"So, you're Kagura. Why are you trying to capture me?" Sokka asked curiously.

"So, you're the boy," Kagura remarked as she looked directly at Sokka.

"Did you summon me and my friends into this world? If it was you, you'd better send us back," Sokka demanded.

"Send you back? How interesting. Now, why would I do something like that?" Kagura asked nonchalantly with a sinister laugh.

"You're pathetic as always," Inuyasha retorted as he stepped forward. "I'm gonna cut you to shreds. Got that?"

"Go ahead!" Kagura shouted. "As always, you're such a mutt." Just then, two large skelebirds materialized on either side of Kagura, both of them bigger than she was.

"Don't waste your time with those skelebirds. It's Kagura we want," Inuyasha warned everyone as he withdrew his Tetsusaiga. "Besides, she can always bring those buzzards back from the dead."

"Good advice…but it's just a waste of your breath!" Kagura stated sinisterly.

"Why, you…" Inuyasha grumbled angrily as he held the Tetsusaiga out in front of him. "Wind Scar!" Kagura simply scoffed as the power of the Wind Scar came right at her.

"That ought to take care of her!" Zuko remarked.

"Uhh…look again, Zuko…" Katara trailed off as she pointed at Kagura, who appeared unscathed from Inuyasha's attack.

"Damn!" Inuyasha shouted out of frustration.

"Let me give it a shot!" Kagome announced as she quickly fired an arrow at Kagura. The arrow, surrounded by a glowing pink aura, pierced through Kagura's right shoulder, causing her to fall to one knee.

"Yes! Direct hit!" Kagome exclaimed.

To everyone's surprise, Kagura let out a menacing chuckle as she stood back up. "You fools! I cannot be defeated so easily! Now, prepare to die! Dance of Blades!" she shouted as she swung her fan in the direction of the seven travelers, creating numerous glowing white curved blades that were heading right towards them.

"Whoa!" Aang gasped as he quickly spun his staff around to knock back the glowing blades heading towards him. He then sped back and forth across the room, knocking the rest of the blades away from his friends with his staff. The blades all ended up becoming embedded into the ceiling and walls of the room instead.

_Impossible! This boy can manipulate the wind such as I?_ Kagura thought to herself, her eyes widening a bit out of surprise.

"Wow! Way to go, Aang!" Shippo cheered enthusiastically as he hopped up and down out of excitement.

"It was nothing," Aang claimed modestly.

"Don't gloat just yet, Aang!" Zuko shouted when he noticed that Kagura was preparing for another attack.

"I'll get her! Take this!" Shippo shouted as he took out a handful of small burlap-wrapped bags with lit fuses and threw them at Kagura and the skelebirds. The small bombs exploded on contact, significantly injuring the two skelebirds, but barely harming Kagura.

"Oh, flame, burning bright…" Sokka chanted as he fired a blast of Shikigami power directly at Kagura, soon followed by Zuko with a fiery blast from his fist. The Shikigami successfully struck Kagura in the chest, causing her to groan out of pain, but she quickly recovered.

"A wasted effort, if you ask me," Kagura stated nonchalantly as she used her fan to repel the flames away from her and back at her attackers.

"Get down!" Sokka shouted in warning as he and Zuko both ducked down, barely avoiding the flames coming back at them.

"Leave them alone, you witch!" Katara shouted angrily as she struck Kagura in the face with the water whip. As Katara drew the water back into her water skin, Kagura brought a hand to her right cheek, which had a small cut from Katara's attack.

"You'll pay for that, you little wench!" Katara stated with an outraged look in her red eyes as she held out her fan once again. "Dance of Blades!"

"Ahh!" Katara screamed fearfully as most of the glowing white blades were aimed directly at her. Both Inuyasha and Aang quickly darted in front of Katara and knocked away the glowing blades; Aang using his staff and Inuyasha using the Tetsusaiga.

"Inuyasha, why don't you use the Wind Scar?" Aang suggested as he knocked away the last glowing blade with his staff.

"Weren't you paying attention the last time, Aang? It ain't gonna work, 'cuz Kagura can use her power over the wind to prevent the Wind Scar from forming!" Inuyasha shouted angrily.

"She's not the only one who can control the wind," Aang muttered out loud as he stepped forward.

"Be careful, Aang!" Katara warned the young airbender.

"You seriously think that you stand a chance against me, boy? Well, let's find out!" Kagura remarked smugly as she used her fan to manipulate the air in the room, turning it into a powerful, swirling whirlwind.

While everyone else was forced against the walls by the wind, Aang and Inuyasha both stood their ground. Aang started to rapidly spin his staff around, creating his own whirlwind. The two whirlwinds created by Aang and Kagura soon collided with one another, creating the familiar glowing white fissure that Inuyasha needed.

"Hurry, Inuyasha! Do it now!" Aang shouted loudly over the howling of the wind.

"Got it, Aang! Wind Scar!" Inuyasha shouted as he swung the Tetsusaiga directly at the fissure, sending three large, glowing yellow streaks of light right at Kagura and the two skelebirds.

"NOOO!" Kagura screamed as the waves of the Wind Scar struck her and the skelebirds, killing the two demons instantly.

"Is it over?" Katara asked a bit uncertainly as the wind gradually died down.

"Not just yet, Katara," Inuyasha remarked as he pointed at Kagura with his sword, who was down on her knees, with her kimono torn up quite a bit and partially stained with her blood.

"Damn! How could I let that happen?" Kagura complained angrily, obviously furious over being defeated.

"Are you ready to die, Kagura?" Inuyasha asked nonchalantly, who was still wielding the Tetsusaiga.

"Wait a minute, Inuyasha," Kagome interrupted. "We have to ask Kagura about the wanted posters."

"Yeah, you're right," Inuyasha reluctantly admitted. Suddenly, the room filled with an intense red light.

"Huh! What was that!" Inuyasha gasped. All of a sudden, everyone in the room was attacked by the strange red light, with the exception of Kagura.

"Aahhh!" Sokka screamed painfully as the burning sensation slowly went away.

"Is that a Shikigami? Utsugi?" Kagura gasped softly as she looked at a figure standing in the open doorway.

The others turned around as the stranger that Kagura called Utsugi entered the room. He was dressed in a white kimono, a lavender vest that ended at his knees with yellow tassels on the front that were joined together by a red thread, white pants, a pale blue sash, and lavender shoes. In addition, there was a grotesque mask covering Utsugi's face. The wooden mask was light brown in color, with large bulbous yellow eyes, protruding curved fangs, red markings underneath the carved eyes, a pair of short curved brown horns, and a mane of long blonde hair.

"Shikigami?" Sokka repeated. "It's like mine, but it's completely different in size."

"Naraku has sent someone to help me. Don't expect any thanks," Kagura announced nonchalantly as she stood up.

"Stop! You'll be sorry if you get in my way," Inuyasha warned Utsugi as he got up.

"Be careful, Inuyasha. I don't think this is your typical demon," Kagome revealed.

"I don't care what it is. I'll destroy anything that gets in the way. Wind Scar!" Inuyasha shouted as he held the Tetsusaiga in front of him.

"You're wasting your time," Utsugi stated rather calmly as Inuyasha attacked him with the Wind Scar. To everyone's surprise, Utsugi simply held up his hand and repelled Inuyasha's attack.

"Damn it. It didn't work," Inuyasha complained loudly.

"It was so easily repelled," Shippo gasped.

"Now it's my turn. Dance with my rage," Utsugi stated as he attacked Inuyasha with a powerful blast of the Shikigami power.

"Ow!" Inuyasha cried out as he fell to his knees, using his sword to support himself.

"Inuyasha, take it easy. You're hurt," Katara pointed out.

"It's only a small cut," Inuyasha muttered out loud.

"Your wound…it's beautiful," Utsugi stated. "It's like the setting sun."

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously.

"Wow! Was that the power of the Shikigami? Who are you?" Sokka asked curiously as he got up.

"Are you the boy?" Utsugi asked as he looked in Sokka's direction.

"Huh. Me? What are you talking about?" Sokka asked curiously.

"Damn it, Sokka! Get out of the way!" Inuyasha shouted as he stood up.

"I see. Kagura, I've completed my mission. I'm leaving," Utsugi announced.

"Fine," Kagura scoffed as she removed one of the feathers from her hair.

"Hey, wait!" Inuyasha shouted as Utsugi left, while Kagura flew over everyone's heads on a giant white feather.

_I can't believe Utsugi would treat Inuyasha like a child. But I think he may know something about how we all came to be here,_ Zuko thought to himself as he, Katara, Aang, Shippo, and Kagome got up.

"Come on! If we hurry, we might be able to catch up with them!" Inuyasha shouted as he ran out of the room, soon followed by Kagome, Shippo, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko. Once they reached the main sitting room of the house, they found the headman waiting for them.

"Oh! You defeated them!" the headman exclaimed out of relief as the group of seven approached him.

"Are you blind? Can't you see they just ran away?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically.

"Don't be so cross. He's a victim, too," Kagome reminded Inuyasha.

"Thank you for your understanding. I had no idea the messenger from the castle would be a demon. I am so sorry for what happened to you," the headman apologized.

"That's okay. The evil ones are Utsugi and Kagura. Don't worry about it anymore," Aang replied.

"Oh! You are so forgiving. You are like Buddha," the headman openly admitted, causing Aang to blush out of embarrassment.

"I think that may be taking it a little too far," Shippo commented dryly.

"Come on, you really are kind, Aang," Kagome revealed.

"Thanks, Kagome. That's nice of you," Aang replied with a wide broad grin.

Kagome giggled a bit before her face became grim. "From what Utsugi and Kagura were saying, it seems there's a connection with Naraku and the four of you being brought into this world," she muttered thoughtfully.

"It's too bad I wasn't able to ask, even though they were right there," Sokka reluctantly admitted.

"Don't give up, Sokka. I'm sure there will be another chance," Kagome tried to convince Sokka.

"Yes, and I doubt Naraku will be leaving us alone," Shippo added.

"Well, the next time I'll finish the job," Inuyasha announced brazenly.

"Well, let's go back to Kaede's village for now," Kagome suggested.

"That sounds good, Kagome," Katara agreed as they left the headman's house.

As the group of seven reached the gate, they heard the headman shout, "Everyone, please wait."

"Hey, it's the headman. What do you want?" Inuyasha asked curiously as the headman approached them.

"It's not much, but please take this," the headman explained as he handed Sokka a pouch that was fat and heavy with coins. "It's a token of my apology and thanks."

"Money?" Sokka asked as both Shippo and Aang peeked into the pouch.

"Wow! There's quite a bit here. We can buy lots of sweets now!" Shippo exclaimed.

"Yeah! I can go for some sweets!" Aang agreed enthusiastically.

"But…" Sokka trailed off.

"It's okay. You can take it," Inuyasha replied.

"It comes from good intentions. I think you should take it," Kagome pointed out.

"Okay, then. I will accept it. Thank you, headman," Sokka replied graciously as he pocketed the money.

"Come on, we better get going before it gets any later," Katara suggested as she pointed at the sun, which was already starting to set.

"If we start now, we'll be back at Kaede's village by noon tomorrow," Kagome muttered thoughtfully. "We'll camp out on the trail when it gets dark."

"Then let's stop wasting time and be on our way," Inuyasha announced as he led the way, soon followed by the others…

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**DC:** Okay, everyone! It's time to play "WHO…SAID…THAT!" Since this is the first of, hopefully, many contests, the first quote will be an easy one, I promise you. I also promise you that they will increase in difficulty. At the beginning of Chapter 14, I'll provide the correct answers and list the names of the three winners. Remember, you need to identify not only who's going to say the line in the next chapter, but also who they're talking to when they say it. Submit your answer by doing a chapter review for chapter 13. If you do an anonymous review, be sure to provide your email. You have exactly three days from now to submit your answers, so the contest ends on January 2nd. Okay, here we go: **"Will you be the mother of my children?"**


	14. The Amorous Monk & the Demon Slayer

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Fourteen: The Amorous Monk and the Demon Slayer**

DC: Thanks to everyone for playing "Who Said That!" There were only two winners of this contest who got the answer half-right, so they both get the prize. I wanted to know who said the line and who they were speaking to. Maybe I'll hold the next contest for a week, to give people more time to submit answers, and I'll change the rules, too. From now on, you just have to identify who said the line that I provide for the contest. Anyway, the winners are **Fox Moonshadow**, and **The Insane Elvish Vampire Pirate And The Demented Hobbit Ninja**. Here are the correct answers: Miroku is the one who said the line in this chapter, and the character he was speaking to is Katara. As I had promised, the winners got advanced copies of this chapter three days before it was posted on FFN.

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"Finally, we're back!" Aang admitted excitedly as they reached the outskirts of Kaede's village.

As Kagome glanced about the area, her gaze soon fell upon a young man and a young girl around her age standing next to the merchant's stand.

"Oh!" Kagome gasped, for she had recognized them. Upon hearing Kagome gasp, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko looked at the two strangers approaching them.

The young man had short black hair with feathery bangs and a short tail in the back, dark blue eyes, and three gold hoop earrings: one in his right ear and two in his left. He was wearing a long-sleeve black flowing robe underneath a violet-blue toga, cerulean blue tights, sandals, a violet-blue guard over his right hand, and a long strand of pale blue prayer beads wrapped around his right wrist and forearm. In addition, the young man carried a wooden staff with an elaborate gold ornament with six rings on top of it, and a gold ring on the middle finger of his right hand with characters etched into it.

The girl accompanying the young man had long dark brown hair past her waist, which was secured near the bottom with a white hair band, straight bangs, and bright brown eyes. She was wearing a full-length pink kimono with large raspberry-colored patches along the cuffs, collar, and hem; a forest green skirt wrap that went halfway past her knees with a matching sash; a large sky blue cloth patterned with white lines tied loosely around her shoulders; sandals; and a skintight black outfit underneath her kimono and skirt wrap. In addition, the young woman had a weapon slung over her back, which resembled a huge tan boomerang that was even bigger than the woman herself, with brown straps wrapped around each end and large golden yellow tassels attached to the wrapped portions of the weapon: two at one end and one at the other.

There was also a small pale yellow cat at the young girl's feet, which had pointed black ears, a black diamond on its forehead, black paws, two bushy tails with black stripes, and large red eyes with narrow black slants for pupils.

Although he would never admit it openly in front of everyone, Zuko found himself intrigued with the young girl. Despite the small smile played across her pretty face, her brown eyes were full of sadness, as though she had suffered a great ordeal in her young life.

"Hey, Kagome!" the young man greeted Kagome enthusiastically.

"Miroku! Sango! You're back!" Kagome addressed the two new arrivals.

"We just got back," Sango revealed.

"That sure took you a while," Inuyasha muttered sarcastically.

"Don't say that, Inuyasha. We went through a lot, too. Hey, who are they?" Miroku asked curiously when he noticed the four unfamiliar kids with Kagome, Shippo, and Inuyasha.

"Oh, yeah. These kids came from another time, like me," Kagome explained.

"Ohh…" Sango trailed off.

"Hello," Katara greeted.

"Are these your friends, Kagome?" Aang asked curiously.

"Yes, this is Miroku and Sango," Kagome introduced them. "Miroku is a monk that can use the power of the Buddhist Sutras, and Sango is a Demon Slayer. Like us, they're trying to destroy Naraku."

"I see… Um, my name is Katara. This is my brother, Sokka, and this is Aang and Zuko," Katara introduced herself and her three companions.

"It's my pleasure!" Miroku openly admitted.

"Nice to meet you," Sango replied.

"They may not look very strong, but they all possess incredible powers," Shippo announced. "Sokka knows how to use the mysterious powers of the Shikigami, Katara is a waterbender, Aang is an airbender, and Zuko is a firebender."

"Hmm…" Miroku murmured thoughtfully.

"It's nothing, really," Katara denied. When she looked up, Katara noticed that Miroku had approached her in particular.

"Excuse me, miss?" Miroku addressed the young waterbender.

"Uh, yes?" Katara asked curiously.

"Will you be the mother of my children?" Miroku asked.

"W-what?" Katara exclaimed as she backed away a couple of steps, stunned that a man she had just met, let alone a monk, would ask her such a brazen question.

"Miroku," Kagome gasped.

"Don't take him seriously, Katara. He says the same thing to all the girls," Shippo revealed.

"R-really," Katara muttered out loud, letting out a silent sigh of relief.

"Excuse me!" Sango interrupted.

"Uh, yes?" Katara asked curiously.

"Miroku, shouldn't we tell them what we found out?" Sango reminded Miroku.

"Oh, yes," Miroku recalled as he backed away a bit from Katara, much to her relief.

"Did you find out where Naraku is?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

"We didn't find out anything specific, but there are a lot of strange things happening inside the castle," Miroku revealed.

"What kinds of strange things?" Sokka prodded curiously.

"Are you interested, too?" Miroku addressed Sokka.

"Yes. It seems that Naraku has something to do with why we were summoned into this world," Sokka replied.

"From what Kagura and Utsugi were talking about, I gather that's definitely the case," Kagome added.

"From what I heard, all the cows on the castle grounds have disappeared," Miroku started to explain. "And all the people who've gone to pay their taxes have never come back. There are definitely a lot of strange things happening inside the castle."

"A whole bunch of demons were seen heading toward the castle," Sango added.

"A bunch of demons, huh? This stinks of Naraku," Inuyasha muttered angrily.

"So, where is this castle?" Sokka inquired.

"From here, it's best to go through Tsuzumi Village," Miroku explained.

"Well, our first stop is to get there, then," Zuko announced.

"We just got back. And we're off again already? Busy, busy," Miroku complained with a deep sigh.

"Zuko! I'm sorry. I know you're both very tired," Katara replied apologetically. To her surprise, Miroku approached her yet again.

"Thank you for being concerned about me, Katara. You're very kind," Miroku openly admitted.

"It's not like that," Katara firmly denied.

"Don't be shy," Miroku replied.

"I'm afraid you misunderstood me, Miroku," Katara pointed out as her face turned red.

"Ahem…Miroku, you better start preparing for the journey," Sango stated with a hint of frustration in her voice as she grabbed Miroku's arm and pulled him away.

"Let's talk more later, Katara," Miroku suggested, which made Katara even redder in the face.

_I wonder what kind of journey this is going to turn out to be,_ Katara wondered to herself as Kaede approached them.

"What? You just got here and you're already leaving? Don't you want to rest a bit?" Kaede suggested.

"It's probably best if we rest up first," Kagome pointed out.

"I think so, too," Kaede agreed. "Today, you should take it easy and rest."

"Yeah, I can use some rest," Shippo agreed with a yawn as he, Kaede, Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Aang headed for Kaede's home; while Sokka, Katara, and Zuko intentionally stayed behind.

"Are you okay, Katara?" Sokka asked out of concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Sokka. That was just…embarrassing. Was it always like this back in the old days?" Katara wondered aloud.

"Either way, I'm gonna have a talk with Miroku," Sokka stated firmly as he started towards Kaede's house.

"Maybe you shouldn't, Sokka. I don't want to start any trouble with one of Kagome's friends," Katara confessed.

"I don't care if he's Kagome's friend or not. No man should talk to a girl like that. I'm sure that even Prince Zuko would agree with me on that, and we don't agree on anything," Sokka pointed out as he looked over at Zuko, who nodded his head slightly in agreement. "I know you don't like me babying you, but you are my little sister, and it's my responsibility to look after you. I'll just get him to leave you alone, Katara. Well, not completely alone, as long as he's not talking to you about…well, you know what I mean."

As Sokka ran off, Zuko approached Katara, much to her surprise. "You might want to watch yourself around Miroku," Zuko warned her. "From what I just witnessed of his behavior, I suspect him of being a lecher."

"A lecher?" Katara repeated a bit uncertainly. "What is a lecher?"

"Don't tell me you don't know what a lecher is!" Zuko exclaimed a bit out of surprise.

"Would I be asking if I did?" Katara pointed out a bit sarcastically. "If it's something I need to know, then please tell me, Zuko."

"Well…" Zuko hesitated for a moment as he leaned closer to Katara and whispered what he knew in her ear.

As she heard what Zuko was telling her, Katara's blue eyes widened out of surprise. "Are you sure?" she asked out of disbelief. Zuko simply nodded his head.

"But…I thought that monks took vows of chastity…" Katara trailed off.

"That would be a priest, not a monk. As I said before, be careful around that monk, Miroku, and don't fall for any of his tricks," Zuko stated.

"All right, then…why are you suddenly concerned about my safety?" Katara asked a bit suspiciously.

"Who said I was concerned about your safety? I was just offering a word of caution, that's all. There's nothing more to it," Zuko claimed. "It's not like we're really friends or anything. This is just an act until we return home, and don't forget it."

"Yeah, I know," Katara simply replied.

As she started to walk back to Kaede's house, Zuko shouted, "Hold on a minute!"

"Yes, Zuko?" Katara asked curiously as she stopped walking and turned around to face him.

"Something's been bothering me for some time now. Why haven't you or your friends been referring to me by my proper title?" Zuko inquired. "Ever since we first met Inuyasha, the three of you have simply called me Zuko instead of Prince Zuko."

"Well, we're in different times now, Zuko. It would probably be best if we don't reveal too much about ourselves. It might raise too many questions," Katara explained. "I'm certain that Kagome is also careful as to what she reveals about her modern world. I'm sure that's probably the reason why you haven't been referring to Aang as the Avatar in front of everyone."

"Well, that part is true. Also, in order to continue this ruse that the four of us are friends, I must call the Avatar by his name," Zuko replied. "It would look suspicious if I call him the Avatar, especially since the people of this time are unaware what an Avatar is."

"That's true. From what I've seen, benders don't exist during this time…at least, not yet," Katara agreed. "Anyway, like I said before, we should be careful as to what we reveal about our time, and also about ourselves. If Inuyasha and the others found out that you were a prince, they would probably want to know why the four of us are traveling together. And you need to be very careful about calling Aang by his name. If you accidentally slip and call him the Avatar, they'll want to know why."

"I guess you make a good point," Zuko muttered out loud.

"You guess?" Katara repeated a bit suspiciously.

"Okay, you DO make a good point," Zuko quickly corrected himself.

"That's better. We should go to Kaede's house. The others will start to wonder what happened to us," Katara pointed out as she started walking down the path towards Kaede's house, soon followed by Zuko…

"How about it, Inuyasha? What do you think if we take the day off today?" Myoga asked curiously. The group of nine was all sitting on the floor in the main room of Kaede's house, with Myoga perched on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Huh! Take the day off?" Inuyasha repeated.

"What do you mean?" Miroku asked curiously.

"Like we did the other day, everyone can pair off with whoever they like," Myoga explained.

"Yeah, we need a little rest, too. And we want to make sure that our new friends have a good time with everyone," Kagome added.

"Hmmm…sounds good," Sango muttered thoughtfully.

"That's great, Kagome," Miroku openly admitted. "You're kind and thoughtful, unlike Inuyasha."

"What did you say, Miroku?" Inuyasha demanded crossly.

"Take it easy, Inuyasha. So, today is going to be our day off," Myoga announced.

"Since there are nine of us now, we should divide into groups of three," Kagome suggested as she looked over at Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko. "So, who do you want to travel with today, Sokka?"

"I'll go with you, Kagome," Sokka announced.

"Me, too!" Aang added enthusiastically.

"Thank you," Kagome replied modestly.

"It's such a nice day today. I think I'll take a nap outside," Inuyasha announced as he headed for the door.

"Good idea, Inuyasha. Me, too!" Shippo agreed as he followed Inuyasha.

"Yes, I'm a bit tired myself," Katara admitted with a soft yawn as she followed Inuyasha and Shippo outside.

"Well, I'm going for a walk," Miroku announced as he stood up.

"Me, too!" Sango agreed as she stood up as well.

"Sounds good. I'll join you," Zuko stated as he quickly joined Miroku and Sango at the doorway.

As the three left, Kagome announced, "Let's go, too!"

"All right, Kagome," Sokka replied as he, Aang, and Kagome all stood up…

"What are you going to do today, Kagome?" Aang asked curiously. It was already noontime, and Kagome, Aang, and Sokka were gathered right outside of Kaede's house.

"Well, no one's been eating very well lately. So, I was thinking I could make a good meal," Kagome revealed.

_Kagome's always thinking about everybody. She's a really kind person,_ Sokka thought to himself.

"I can't cook anything too fancy," Kagome continued. "Can you two get some potatoes and onions from the garden? I'll get things ready while you do that."

"Okay, Kagome. We'll go get them now. Come on, Aang," Sokka announced as he and Aang headed for the garden, while Kagome walked back inside Kaede's house…

"Kagome, here's the onions and potatoes. We found some carrots and radishes, too," Aang announced as he and Sokka ran back into Kaede's house, each carrying a basket full of vegetables.

"Perfect! Do you think you can help me a little bit?" Kagome asked curiously as she turned around to face the two boys while they placed the baskets on the floor.

"Sure we can, Kagome. Oh, you're making a bento box!" Sokka realized when he recognized the large woven wicker box resting on top of a table near the oven, which was already partially filled with food.

"Yes, I think we're going to be traveling pretty far tomorrow," Kagome admitted as she returned her attention to something cooking in the oven.

_Look at Kagome cooking. It's great that she's so good at it. We're so lucky!_ Sokka thought to himself as he watched Kagome.

"Hey! What are you staring at, Sokka?" Kagome asked a bit suspiciously as she turned back around to face Sokka and Aang.

"Sorry, I was just…admiring your skill," Sokka stammered a bit nervously. "We'll help, right, Aang?"

"Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun!" Aang openly admitted.

"Of course, you will! That's why I called you. Now, take those radishes!" Kagome instructed. As Sokka reached for the carrots in one of the baskets, Kagome interrupted, "No, not those, Sokka! Those are carrots!"

"Sorry, sorry! Oh, these?" Sokka asked as he put down the carrots and pulled out a bunch of small red-and-white radishes from the basket.

"If you have time to say you're sorry, Sokka, you have time to work!" Kagome pointed out as Sokka handed her the radishes. "Next, you can chop the wood and make a fire in the oven. And, Aang, you can bring some water from the river. Oh, yeah, and wash the dirty pots, and…"

"Okay, Kagome, we'll go do that!" Aang replied as he and Sokka ran for the door. Once they were outside, Sokka and Aang both let out deep sighs of relief.

"Huh…Kagome sure likes to boss people around," Aang complained.

"Yeah, I guess so. We better go get that stuff for her," Sokka pointed out as he and Aang headed for the woods…

"I was wrong! This isn't fun at all!" Aang complained loudly as he lugged a wooden bucket full of water down the trail, while Sokka was carrying a bundle of firewood.

"I know, Aang, but it has to be done," Sokka replied.

"I don't know about you, Sokka, but I need a break," Aang announced.

"Yeah…me, too!" Sokka quickly agreed as he and Aang both dropped their loads on the path and plopped down on the grass.

"Hmmm!" they heard a familiar voice groan.

"That sounded like Shippo," Aang realized as he turned around and parted the bushes. As Aang and Sokka peered through the bushes, they saw Shippo standing on a separate trail, facing a set of three identical stone statues.

"Hmm…those statues look familiar…" Sokka trailed off.

"That's because we saw statues like that back in Akebi Village, Sokka," Aang reminded him. "I think they're called Jizo. Hey, there's Katara!" Aang pointed at Katara, who was standing off of the trail next to the Jizo, watching as Shippo did a backwards flip.

"Hmmm!" Shippo grunted out of frustration. Just then, Inuyasha joined Shippo and Katara.

"Oh, hi, Inuyasha," Katara greeted.

"Hey, Katara. What are you doing, Shippo?" Inuyasha asked curiously as Shippo did another backwards flip.

"I'm practicing transforming. Don't bother me, Inuyasha," Shippo explained.

"Practicing? But, you're not getting any better," Inuyasha remarked.

"What!" Shippo exclaimed loudly. "Alright, I'll show you what I've been practicing." Shippo soon became encased in a cloud of smoke as he worked his fox magic. When the cloud of smoke disappeared, Shippo had transformed into a shorter version of Inuyasha.

"Sit! Sit!" Shippo shouted as he intentionally slammed himself into the ground. "See! I'm just like you! Sit!"

Aang and Sokka snickered softly over what they had just witnessed. While Katara giggled over Shippo's performance, Inuyasha was not at all thrilled by the fox demon's imitation of him.

"Hey…" Inuyasha grumbled angrily as Shippo changed back into his normal form.

"Ahh!" Shippo gasped loudly as Inuyasha came charging at him.

Shippo quickly ran down the path, with Inuyasha not far behind. After a short time, Shippo came running back and zipped past Katara again, still followed by Inuyasha. When Shippo returned to the spot where Katara was standing for the third time, he silently warned Katara to be quiet as he stepped off of the trail by the three Jizo statues and disguised himself as one of the stone statues. At that very moment, Inuyasha had reached that spot in the trail.

"Where did he run away to? Katara, where did he go?" Inuyasha asked curiously as he looked over at Katara, who was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Shippo ran right past me, down the trail," Katara replied quickly as she pointed down the trail, trying hard to hide her smile.

Sensing that Katara wasn't being entirely truthful, Inuyasha suspiciously glanced about the surrounding area. His eyes soon rested on the fourth Jizo statue, which he realized wasn't always there. Inuyasha approached the statue and punched it hard, which immediately changed back into Shippo.

"You really are improving from your practice, Shippo," Inuyasha commented dryly.

"Shut up!" Shippo complained as he ran down the trail, followed by Katara and Inuyasha.

"Ha, ha, ha! Shippo's so funny!" Aang laughed out loud. "Don't you think so, Sokka?"

"Yeah, he is," Sokka openly admitted with a soft chuckle. "Come on, Aang, we rested long enough. We better get this stuff back to Kagome."

"Yeah, okay," Aang replied as he and Sokka stood up, gathered the firewood and water, and headed back to Kaede's village…


	15. Journey to Tsuzumi Village

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Fifteen: Journey to Tsuzumi Village**

"It looks like you all had a good rest," Kaede commented.

"Yes, and now we're all prepared. We should be on our way to Tsuzumi Village," Sokka announced as he, Aang, Katara, Zuko, Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, and Sango were gathering their belongings for the journey to Tsuzumi Village.

"Good timing. I don't want to be adding to your burden, but you should take this," Kaede revealed as she handed Sokka a soft bundle.

"Some old-fashioned clothes?" Sokka muttered questionably as he looked over the bundle. "It's going to be a long journey. So, a change of clothes will come in handy," Kaede explained.

"Yes, we don't know what's ahead, Sokka. It'll be best to take them," Kagome added.

"Kagome's right. Who knows? You may need to disguise yourself again, like back in Kasasagi Town," Katara pointed out.

"You're right, all of you. Thank you, Kaede," Sokka replied graciously as he handed the clothes to Katara, who placed them in her traveling bag.

"Now, be careful. Goodbye," Kaede told everyone as they started to leave her home.

"Okay, bye, Kaede!" Aang announced, who was the last to leave…

"So, which way is it?" Inuyasha asked a bit impatiently as he, Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, Sango, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko reached an intersection on the path they were following.

"It's this way," Sango announced as she pointed at the trail heading east. "Tsuzumi Village is far to the east, and running through the village is the road that leads directly to the castle."

As the group of nine started down the path leading to Tsuzumi Village, Sokka recognized the elderly woman standing alongside the trail just a short distance up ahead.

"Hey, it's Grandma Kakuju!" Sokka exclaimed as Kakuju turned around and approached them.

"Hello, again. Oh, that's right. There's something I want to give to you, Sokka," Kakuju recalled as she dug into her pocket, pulled out a gold talisman hanging from a thin black cord, and handed it to Sokka. "That monk there should be able to help you make good use of it. Go on, show him." Sokka nodded as he held up the object so Miroku could see it.

"It is a talisman?" Miroku asked curiously as he looked at Kakuju.

"Aha. I added a little magic in there, too. It will give you power when you fight together," Kakuju explained with a nod of her head.

"Thank you so much, Kakuju," Miroku admitted graciously.

"You're welcome. I should get going. Bye for now!" Kakuju announced as she walked down the trail alone in the direction that the group just came from, while Sokka pocketed the talisman.

"Bye, Kakuju! See you soon!" Aang shouted as both he and Shippo waved goodbye to the elderly woman.

"Hey, Miroku, how long will it take to get to Tsuzumi Village?" Kagome asked curiously as everyone continued on their way.

"Well, at the current pace we're going…we should arrive at the village long before sunset," Miroku speculated. "The villagers there are quite accommodating. We'll have no problem finding a place to settle in for tonight."

"That's good to hear. At least we won't have to sleep on the ground tonight," Kagome admitted out of relief.

"And what's wrong with sleeping on the ground?" Inuyasha asked a bit suspiciously. Kagome simply shook her head out of disappointment at Inuyasha's question.

"We need to cut through here to get onto a separate trail," Sango instructed as she stepped off of the trail and stepped through a cluster of thick bushes, followed by Miroku, Kagome, Shippo, Inuyasha, Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Zuko, with Katara being the last one to pass through the bushes.

"Ouch!" Katara cried out a bit in pain as she hobbled a bit on her right foot.

"Are you all right, Katara?" Aang asked curiously.

"I think I stepped on a thorn," Katara revealed as she looked down and saw a large thorn in the side of her left foot, penetrating through the thick leather of her boot. To her disappointment, Miroku had decided upon himself to kneel down to inspect Katara's foot.

"Oh, no! There's a thorn in your foot. Let me take it out," Miroku offered.

"No, really. You don't have to do this, Miroku," Katara declined a bit nervously. As Miroku gently removed the thorn, Katara noticed out of the corner of her eye that Sango had turned away with a crossed look on her face.

"There we go, Katara. Good as new," Miroku announced as he stood up and tossed the thorn aside into the nearby brush.

"Shall we continue now?" Sango asked dully as she walked down the trail ahead of everyone.

"Hey, Sango! Wait up!" Shippo shouted as everyone soon caught up with the Demon Slayer.

"Kagome…is Sango mad at me? Did I do something wrong?" Katara whispered to Kagome.

"No, it isn't you, Katara," Kagome tried to reassure the young waterbender.

"Hey, Sango! What do you call that weapon?" Sokka asked curiously, referring to the large boomerang-shaped weapon that Sango had strapped across her back. "It looks like a boomerang, but it's far bigger than any boomerang I've ever seen!"

"It's called a Hiraikotsu," Sango replied as she paused on the trail for a moment.

"It looks pretty heavy…is it?" Sokka inquired as Miroku and Aang walked by.

"Actually, it is quite heavy, Sokka," Sango revealed as she continued walking.

"You must be pretty strong to carry around such a weapon, Sango, let alone use it," Sokka openly confessed. "What's it made of, anyway? Wood?"

"Far from it, Sokka. A weapon made of nothing but wood wouldn't stand a chance against a demon. My Hiraikotsu is carved out of demon bone," Sango simply replied.

"You gotta be kidding me! That was once part of a demon?!" Aang exclaimed loudly out of surprise as he looked back over his shoulder at Sango.

"Yes…of course," Sango remarked a bit suspiciously. "Demons come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. How could you not know this? Your style of clothing is a bit different from ours, and Kagome did say you and your friends are from another time, like herself, but the era that you're from must not be that far from ours."

"Well, actually, they all said they've never seen a demon before until they got here, Sango," Kagome revealed.

"Really? There are no demons in your time?" Sango asked curiously.

"It's true, Sango," Katara replied. "We didn't even know demons were ever real until we came here."

"At least, we know we're successful with our quest," Sango stated. Just then, Zuko quickened his pace until he was a short distance ahead of the group, secluding himself somewhat from everyone.

"Sokka…what can you tell me about Zuko?" Sango asked curiously as her brown eyes focused on the armor-clad young man.

"Afraid I can't tell you much," Sokka remarked.

"But, the two of you are friends, aren't you?" Sango questioned Sokka.

"Well…truth be told, I haven't been able to figure the guy out since the day I met him!" Sokka openly confessed. "Why are you asking me, Sango? Didn't you and Miroku spend most of the day with Zuko yesterday?"

"Yes, we did, but Zuko wasn't very talkative," Sango revealed. "He's still a mystery to me, but I would like to get to know him better…if he'll let me."

"Good luck with that!" Sokka remarked under his breath.

"Hey…can you chant, Miroku?" Aang asked curiously as he continued walking alongside Miroku.

"Yes, I can," Miroku replied as he looked at the anxious young airbender.

"You can lead a funeral, too?" Aang inquired.

"Of course, Aang. Otherwise, I wouldn't be a monk," Miroku revealed.

"Wow, you're amazing, Miroku!" Aang openly admitted. "You're not much older than Sokka and Zuko, but you're a monk!"

"Well, I'm not one to brag…" Miroku trailed off.

Aang looked over at Sango, who was now walking on Miroku's other side, and asked, "Don't you think it's impressive, Sango?"

"Huh," Sango scoffed.

"Um, Sango…" Aang trailed off as Sango started walking a bit faster, getting ahead of him and Miroku. She soon caught up with Zuko, who was still walking ahead of everyone else.

"Excuse me…Zuko?" Sango asked a bit uncertainly as she joined Zuko.

"Yes? What is it, Sango?" Zuko asked curiously.

"I've noticed the metal armor that you wear. Are you a warrior from your time?" Sango asked curiously. "The truth is, you look no older than myself…yet you already bear quite a battle scar."

It didn't take very long for Zuko to realize that Sango was referring to the burn scar over his left eye. "I…would rather not talk about that, if you don't mind," Zuko stated. "As for your question, Sango…I suppose I am a warrior."

Zuko then looked down at the small cat creature with the twin tails walking in between himself and Sango. "What sort of creature is that, Sango?" he asked curiously. "I doubt it's your typical cat."

"You're right about that, Zuko. Kirara is a demon cat, and she's also my constant companion," Sango explained. "She's a great comfort to me, and she aids me in battle as well."

_Kirara seems harmless…but seeing that she's a demon, I'll bet there's more to her than meets the eye,_ Zuko thought to himself. Suddenly, he was startled when Kirara jumped onto his shoulder and rubbed her furry head against his face, just like any affectionate cat would.

"Uh…why is she doing this?" Zuko asked with a slight hint of panic in his voice.

"It's okay, Zuko. Kirara just likes you, is all," Sango replied with a muffled giggle. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

"I never said I was afraid," Zuko firmly denied as he looked at Kirara, who looked back at him with her big red eyes. Zuko carefully patted Kirara on top of her head with his free hand. In response, Kirara let out a trilling purr and closed her eyes slightly.

"Come now, Kirara. I think you've bothered him enough," Sango instructed as Kirara leapt into her waiting arms.

"Sorry about that, Sango. I'm…just not used to being around animals," Zuko solemnly apologized.

"There's no need to apologize, Zuko," Sango pointed out…

"Your staff seems quite simple in appearance, Aang," Miroku commented as he briefly glanced at Aang's staff, which appeared to be a simple wooden staff that was taller than the young airbender, with two diamond-shaped bulges near either end of the staff.

"It's more than just a staff, Miroku. It's my glider," Aang openly admitted.

"A glider, you say?" Miroku inquired curiously.

"Yeah, you wanna see, Miroku?" Aang asked curiously as he and Miroku paused on the trail.

"Sure, why not?" Miroku replied as everyone else stopped on the trail to see what Aang was up to.

"You got it!" Aang admitted excitedly as he gripped his staff in both hands. With a flick of his wrists, two large red-orange fans opened up on either side of the staff near the top, with two smaller red-orange fans opening near the bottom.

"Impressive!" Miroku gasped softly out of astonishment as he looked over the newly transformed glider. "I've never seen anything like it before!"

A broad grin spread across Aang's face as he positioned the glider behind his back. As he looked back at Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Katara, and Sokka, Aang noticed that Shippo was staring at him and his glider with wide eyes.

"Come on, Shippo!" Aang announced.

"Really? Okay!" Shippo agreed enthusiastically as he ran up to Aang and climbed onto his left shoulder.

"Yeah, right!" Inuyasha scoffed out of disbelief. "Last time I checked, humans can't fly…unless they have one of those rockets from Kagome's time. Right, Kagome?"

"Uh, well…there are other ways…" Kagome trailed off.

"Umm…what is a rocket?" Sokka asked curiously.

"Something from Kagome's time that allows humans to fly to the moon," Inuyasha explained.

"Fly to the moon?" Zuko repeated. "That's not possible!"

"Well, it actually did happen," Kagome revealed.

"Either way, no way you can fly on that thing!" Inuyasha remarked.

"I believe you, Aang," Shippo announced. "Now, let's get up there and rub it in Inuyasha's face later!"

"You got it, Shippo!" Aang agreed with a broad grin on his face as he squatted down a bit before jumping up in the air, creating a gust of wind that everyone left on the ground felt.

"Oh, wow! Look at that!" Kagome gasped loudly as she watched Aang fly high above the treetops. "What do you have to say now, Inuyasha?"

"Uh, well…big deal! He's flying!" Inuyasha muttered out loud, trying hard to hide the surprised expression on his face as he watched Aang and Shippo in the air, along with Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, Sango, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko.

"How is he able to do that?" Sango asked curiously. "There isn't even the slightest breeze in the air."

"Aang uses his airbending to keep himself suspended in the air," Zuko explained. "He manipulates the air around him so he can fly with the aid of his glider."

"Oh, I see…" Sango slowly realized. "Shippo mentioned that before when we were first introduced to one another. He said that you were a firebender, right, Zuko?"

"Yes, I am," Zuko replied.

"If it's not too much trouble, may I see a demonstration?" Sango requested as she looked at Zuko.

"I don't see why not," Zuko agreed as he produced a fire ball in his outstretched hand. He noticed that the flames dancing about in his open hand reflected as small orange flecks in Sango's brown eyes, bringing them out even more so than usual.

"That's amazing, Zuko. And it doesn't hurt you at all?" Sango asked curiously.

"No, it doesn't. I can feel the heat from the flames, of course, but it doesn't burn my hand at all," Zuko explained as he closed his hand, instantly snuffing out the fire ball in a small puff of smoke. When he reopened his hand, Sango saw no evidence of any fresh burns, old scars, or even soot on Zuko's hand.

"That's incredible!" Sango gasped as she pulled Zuko's hand towards her to better examine it, much to Zuko's surprise. "There's no burns, no soot, nothing!"

"Y-yeah, of course. I'm no amateur," Zuko replied a bit nervously as he felt a slight wave of heat rushing to his face, which he couldn't explain.

"I apologize if I insulted you at all, Zuko," Sango solemnly replied as she let go of Zuko's hand.

"I…didn't mean it like that, Sango," Zuko whispered apologetically.

"Hey, everyone! Watch this!" Aang shouted from high in the sky as he started to roll his glider into a spiral spin, with Shippo clinging tightly to his shoulder.

"Aang, look out!" Katara shouted when she realized that Aang was heading straight for a tall tree. Unfortunately, Katara's warning came too late.

"AHH!" Aang and Shippo screamed simultaneously as they crashed into the tree, disappearing from the sight of everyone still on the ground.

"Aang! Shippo!" Kagome called out as she and Katara ran up to the tree and looked up at the foliage, frantically searching for any sign of the young airbender and the little fox demon. Just then, the two girls heard the sound of branches and twigs breaking, which was growing louder as it came closer to them.

"We might want to move out of the way," Katara suggested a bit nervously as she and Kagome slowly backed away from the tree. Within seconds, two figures fell out of the tree and crash-landed into a large bush, along with a familiar glider that became embedded in the brush.

"Are you two okay?" Kagome asked curiously as she and Katara parted the bush, finding Aang lying on the ground, with a lightheaded Shippo on his lap.

"Yeah…I think so…" Aang trailed off as he slowly sat up. He looked down at Shippo and noticed the dizziness in his eyes and the pale complexion on his face.

"Shippo, can you hear me? Are you okay?" Kagome asked out of concern.

"I…I…I…" Shippo trailed off slowly.

"What is it, Shippo?" Aang asked curiously.

"I…I…I wanna do it again!" Shippo exclaimed loudly, much to everyone's surprise.

"He's okay," Kagome remarked as Aang stood up while picking up Shippo with one arm.

"You're sure you want to go again?" Aang asked curiously, still a bit stunned over Shippo's quick recovery.

"Mmm-hmm," Shippo replied with a quick nod of his head.

"Okay! Hopefully, my glider isn't damaged," Aang announced as he placed Shippo down on the ground before pulling his glider free from the bush it became stuck in. After quickly looking it over for any holes in the glider wings or broken frame pieces, Aang found his glider to be in perfect condition.

"Ready to go again, Shippo?" the young airbender asked Shippo as he positioned the glider behind his back.

"All right!" Shippo replied as he climbed onto Aang's left shoulder once again. With a high leap, Aang and Shippo took to the skies for the second time.

"Just stay right there, everyone! We'll be back soon!" Aang called back to everyone as he and Shippo disappeared around the bend of the trail.

"Don't worry, Kagome. They'll come back," Katara reassured Kagome when she noticed the concerned look on her face. "Aang always keeps his word."

"Well…okay," Kagome reluctantly agreed as she turned around to face Inuyasha, Miroku, Sokka, Zuko, and Sango. "Since Aang and Shippo might be a while, why don't we take a break?"

"Sounds good to me!" Sokka quickly agreed as he sat down on the strip of grass bordering the trail, along with Inuyasha, Miroku, Kagome, Katara, Zuko, and Sango.

"Does anyone want some water?" Katara asked curiously as she unhooked the strap securing her water skin to her back.

"I could use a drink, if you don't mind, Katara," Miroku announced.

"Sure, no problem," Katara replied as she handed the water skin to Miroku.

Meanwhile, Kagome had removed her backpack and was digging through it, eventually pulling out a long clear bottle full of water. "I have some water, too, if anyone wants a drink," she offered as she held up the bottle.

"Why would you risk bringing a glass bottle, Kagome?" Sokka asked curiously as Miroku handed him Katara's water skin. "That stuff breaks pretty easily."

"Actually, it's not glass, Sokka. It's made out of plastic," Kagome replied as she held up the bottle for everyone to see.

"What's plastic?" Katara prodded curiously as Sokka took a drink from the water skin.

"Plastic's a material from my time," Kagome explained as she handed the bottle to Inuyasha, who took a healthy drink of water from it. "It looks a lot like glass, but it doesn't break as easily. Plastic's pretty durable, and there's a lot of stuff from my time that's made from it."

"Sounds pretty convenient, Kagome," Katara commented.

"Sure is…hey! Stop hogging it, Inuyasha!" Kagome complained loudly as she snatched the bottle from Inuyasha. "Save some for the rest of us!"

"What are you making such a big deal for, Kagome? It's not like that's the only bottle of water we have!" Inuyasha pointed out.

"True…but don't forget, Katara's a waterbender. I'm sure she uses her water skin for that, right, Katara?" Kagome asked a bit uncertainly.

"That's right, Kagome. If there's no source of water nearby, I do use my water skin for waterbending," Katara confirmed.

"See? I told you so!" Kagome admitted matter-of-factly, while Inuyasha growled angrily under his breath.

"Well, how was I supposed to know?" Inuyasha retorted loudly.

"Well, it's kinda obvious, Inuyasha. She is a waterbender, after all," Kagome indicated. Miroku, Sokka, Katara, Sango, and Zuko just looked on as the argument continued.

"Umm…should we stop them?" Zuko whispered to Sango as the arguing between Inuyasha and Kagome escalated.

"No, they'll be fine. They'll stop fighting eventually, so don't worry about it," Sango replied.

Zuko was about to ask for Katara's water skin when he noticed that Sango was still staring right at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare, Zuko," Sango apologized. "It's just that, well…never mind. It's silly."

"What? What is it?" Zuko prodded curiously.

"Well…I must admit that when I first saw you from a distance, I thought perhaps you were a Demon Slayer, Zuko," Sango revealed, much to Zuko's surprise.

"You thought that I was a Demon Slayer? Why did you think that, Sango?" Zuko questioned the female Demon Slayer.

"Well, your clothing and armor is similar to what us Demon Slayers wear when we're doing our job," Sango explained.

"Your job?" Zuko repeated.

"Yes, I slay demons for a living; all Demon Slayers do," Sango replied. "Anyway, when I got a better look at you, I realized you weren't a Demon Slayer after all."

"And how did you realize that?" Zuko inquired curiously.

"For one, both your clothes and armor are different in style and color of a Demon Slayer's uniform," Sango replied. "Also, your armor is made of metal, which would be pretty foolish for a Demon Slayer to wear into battle."

"How is that? Metal's rather durable, and I've had this set of armor for quite a while," Zuko pointed out.

"True, your armor will surely protect you from smaller and weaker demons, but it wouldn't do you much good against stronger demons," Sango continued. "A bigger, stronger demon can easily pierce through metal with its fangs and claws. Just be wary of what you're up against, okay?"

"Okay, sure," Zuko replied with a nod of his head. Just then, two screams echoed throughout the forest.

"That was Aang and Shippo!" Katara gasped. "I hope they're okay."

"Maybe they just had another bad landing or something," Kagome suggested.

"Or it could be something else…" Sango muttered thoughtfully as she stood up. She then looked down at Zuko and announced, "Come on, Zuko, we better investigate this."

"Right," Zuko replied as he quickly got up and ran after Sango.

The two had gone quite a distance down the trail when they found what they were looking for. Zuko gasped out of surprise over the sight before him. Aang and Shippo were both encased in large jellied egg sacs and unconscious, with Aang's staff lying on the side of the trail.

There was a demon standing in front of the egg sacs, which immediately turned around when it heard Sango and Zuko approaching. The demon resembled a large toad with dark green slimy skin, pale yellow skin on its bottom jaw and chest, red bulbous eyes, and pale yellow webbing on its hands and feet. The demon was wearing a pale lavender kimono underneath a burgundy kimono with dark pink stripes on the sleeves, gray pants with matching sash, and a black cap.

"What is that thing? And why does it have Aang and Shippo trapped in those egg sacs?" Zuko asked curiously.

"It's a toad demon. The egg sacs are how they preserve human souls for them to feed upon. Toad demons usually prefer the souls of young maidens, but in certain circumstances, they'll settle for whatever they can get," Sango explained. "They'll even eat other demons, if they have to."

"We can't let them eat Aang and Shippo!" Zuko announced as he ran forward, charging directly towards the toad demon.

"Zuko, wait!" Sango shouted, but her warning fell on deaf ears as Zuko continued running.

_I can't let that thing eat the Avatar!_ Zuko thought to himself. _I doubt that anyone back home, other than my uncle, would believe me if I told them that we somehow traveled back in time and a demon ate the Avatar. They would think I'd gone crazy! I need the Avatar alive, otherwise I can forget about regaining my honor. And, if I don't act concerned about his fate, I wouldn't be much of a 'friend' then, would I?_

"What is Zuko thinking?" Sango whispered to herself as she chased after Zuko. "He doesn't know what he's doing! He could get killed!"

As he drew closer to the toad demon, Zuko clenched his fists tightly, producing a pair of pointed flames shaped like dagger blades. The teenage firebender then proceeded to swing the flaming daggers at the toad demon. Within moments, Zuko was successful in setting the toad demon's sleeve on fire.

"AHH! AHH!" the toad demon screamed loudly as it frantically ran around in a circle. Zuko took this opportunity to finish off the toad demon with a blast of flames from his outstretched fist, setting the entire demon on fire.

"I guess he did know what he was doing after all," Sango gasped out of surprise as she stopped running.

"Huh, that didn't take much effort," Zuko remarked smugly to himself as the toad demon's aura faded away. He stepped over the pile of ashes left behind and approached the egg sac that had Aang trapped in it. The young airbender appeared drained of his energy, and his eyes were still closed.

"Aang, speak to me! Are you okay? Can you hear me?" Zuko asked loudly, uncertain if Aang would be able to hear him through the thick jelly wall of the egg sac. Aang let out a soft groan as he opened his eyes slightly and looked groggily at Zuko.

"Just hang in there. I'll get you out…somehow," Zuko muttered out loud as he tried to think of a way to release the Avatar without harming him.

As Zuko stood there in deep thought, Aang's eyes widened slightly when he saw two identical demons emerge from the forest alongside the trail. The demons were both covered from head to toe with blue-green fish scales, with skinny arms and legs, large pointed ears resembling fins, protruding curved tusks, and large red eyes. They were both wearing red loincloths, metal chest armor with straps, and gold armbands on their right arms. In addition, the two demons were each armed with a spear.

"Zuko…behind you…" Aang whispered weakly as he struggled to point at the approaching demons in an attempt to warn the firebender.

Zuko quickly turned around and gasped slightly when he saw the two demons running at him, their spears aimed right at him. Reacting swiftly, Zuko immediately brought up his forearms, using his metal gauntlets to block off the demons' advancing spears. The demons attempted to stab Zuko again simultaneously, but he managed to block their weapons again with his gauntlets, being forced to drop down to both knees in the process.

"Oh, no! Kosui demons!" Sango gasped as she quickly undid the strap that secured the Hiraikotsu to her back. "Zuko, get down!" she shouted in warning as she gripped one of the Hiraikotsu's tassels tightly. "HIRAIKOTSU!"

Zuko quickly ducked down just as the large weapon spun rapidly towards him, striking both Kosui demons in one blow. As the two demonic auras faded away, Zuko watched as the Hiraikotsu spun around in an arc and headed right back to Sango, just as any normal boomerang would. Sango reached up and grabbed the Hiraikotsu by one of its tassels as she knelt down on one knee, with the other end of the weapon slamming into the ground with a massive thud.

"Wow! That was amazing!" Zuko gasped softly as he got up to his feet.

"Come on, Zuko. We need to get Shippo and Aang out of those egg sacs right away," Sango announced as she walked past Zuko.

As she went past him, Zuko noticed that Sango was now brandishing a katana, which she withdrew from its black sheath. Zuko turned around in time to see Sango using the katana's sharp blade to cut an opening in the egg sac that held Aang prisoner.

"You get Aang, and I'll go rescue Shippo," Sango instructed as she turned her attention to the second egg sac.

Zuko simply nodded his head slowly in response as he approached the egg sac. As Zuko reached into the opening, he grimaced slightly out of disgust when his bare hands first came in contact with the slimy jelly of the egg sac. He quickly got over it as he forced both arms through the opening of the egg sac and managed to grab Aang's arms.

"You showed incredible skill against those demons, Zuko," Sango commented as she cut open the egg sac holding Shippo inside.

"Thank you," Zuko replied as he dragged Aang out of the egg sac.

"How did you know?" Sango asked curiously as she gently removed Shippo from the egg sac.

"Know what?" Zuko prodded.

"How did you know about the toad demon's vulnerability to fire? Have you encountered one before?" Sango questioned the teenage firebender.

"No, I haven't. I'm aware that normal toads can't stand heat or fire, so I assumed that a toad demon would have the same weakness," Zuko explained.

"You…assumed?" Sango repeated with a hint of anger and bewilderment in her voice.

When Zuko glanced over at Sango, he noticed the angry look flashing in her normally calm eyes. "What is it, Sango? What's wrong?"

"You went into battle with a demon you never faced before with only a guess on its weakness, and you don't realize what's wrong?" Sango pointed out rather calmly.

"Well, it turned out I was right, so what's the problem?" Zuko inquired.

"You can't just go into battle based on a hunch! Don't you realize you could have been killed, Zuko?" Sango shouted out of frustration. "What if you were wrong about the toad demon being vulnerable to fire? You could have died! What were you thinking?"

Zuko was not exactly pleased with Sango scolding him like a child, but he kept calm because getting in a fight with her wouldn't solve anything, plus she was right.

"I was thinking about saving my friend," Zuko stated. "I'm sorry I didn't consider what may happen to me, but I was more concerned about Aang's safety."

There was a long pause of silence between the two teenagers as Sango carefully brushed off bits of the egg sac jelly from Shippo's face, thinking about what Zuko just said to her.

"Well…I suppose I can excuse your behavior from earlier, Zuko. You were concerned about your friend's safety, after all, and that can blind-sight anyone to any obvious dangers," Sango reluctantly admitted. "But, promise me that you'll be more careful from now on. There are many demons out there, many that you are not familiar with, as of yet. True, some demons are weak and don't pose much of a threat, but many are very strong and dangerous, especially to someone who has little or no experience fighting demons. So, just be more aware of what's going on, okay?"

"All right, I will. You seem very well-versed when it comes to demons, Sango," Zuko commented.

"It's important for me to be well-versed with the ways of demons, Zuko," Sango pointed out as she looked directly at Zuko. "Slaying demons is my sole purpose in life." Before Zuko could respond, he heard a soft moan coming from Aang.

"It looks like he's coming around," Sango whispered as Aang slowly opened his eyes.

"How are you feeling, Aang?" Zuko asked curiously as Aang slowly sat up on his own.

Before Aang could say anything, he suddenly coughed violently, spitting up a few bits and pieces of the egg sac jelly. "I've felt better," the young airbender groaned under his breath as he slowly but surely got up on his feet.

"Be still, Aang! You've been through so much in such a short time!" Sango warned Aang.

"I'll be okay, Sango," Aang replied as he looked down at Shippo, who was still lying unconscious in Sango's lap. "What about Shippo? Is he gonna be all right?"

"Looks like he's starting to wake up now," Sango replied as Shippo let out a little moan before slowly opening his eyes.

"Huh…Sango?" Shippo murmured as he looked up at the Demon Slayer. "What's going on?"

"Take it easy, Shippo. You and Aang have both been through a lot," Sango explained.

"Aang, what happened?" Shippo asked curiously as he looked over at Aang.

"Well…we were flying through the sky when we were suddenly attacked by this huge toad!" Aang started to explain in an excited and rushed tone. "Before we could do anything, the toad trapped us in these huge egg sacs, and then Zuko and Sango came along! Zuko beat the toad with his firebending, and then he was attacked by two demons with fish heads and spears! Sango took care of the fish demons with her Hiraikotsu and cut us out of the egg sacs, and that's what happened!"

"Wow!" Shippo gasped as Aang took in a deep breath of air. "So, that means that Sango and Zuko saved us?"

"Mmm-hmm," Aang replied as he vigorously nodded his head.

"Thanks for coming to our rescue, guys," Shippo admitted graciously.

"It was no trouble at all," Zuko stated.

"Come on, Shippo! Let's go find the others and tell them what happened!" Aang suggested enthusiastically as he picked up Shippo from Sango's lap. He then used his airbending to bring his staff over to him and ran off using his airbending, leaving Zuko and Sango coughing and choking a bit on his dust.

"Aang certainly recovered quickly from his ordeal!" Sango commented as she and Zuko both stood up.

"Yeah, that kid's just full of surprises," Zuko remarked as he brushed the loose dirt off of his clothes and armor.

"He's not the only one," Sango replied as she looked up at Zuko.

"What do you mean by that?" Zuko asked curiously as they walked back down the trail and stopped at a tree, where Sango had previously propped her Hiraikotsu against.

"From what I saw, you did well when it came to handling those demons, Zuko," Sango explained as she picked up the Hiraikotsu and strapped it to her back. "You fought them as though you've been doing so all your life. It wouldn't surprise me at all if you were a Demon Slayer in a past life."

Zuko was so stunned that this girl he barely knew had complimented him that he found himself speechless for a few moments. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment," he finally replied.

"Look, there they are!"

Zuko and Sango looked up and saw Kagome running down the path towards them, followed by Inuyasha, Miroku, Aang, Shippo, Katara, and Sokka.

"Aang and Shippo told us everything that happened. Are you two okay?" Kagome asked curiously as she stopped just a few feet in front of Sango and Zuko.

"Yes, we're fine, Kagome," Sango answered.

"Well, can we get moving before it gets any later?" Inuyasha retorted impatiently as he walked past everyone.

"Inuyasha, how can you be so insensitive? They were attacked by three demons!" Kagome exclaimed.

"So what, Kagome? They beat them on their own, didn't they?" Inuyasha pointed out, not even bothering to look back as he continued walking down the path.

"I don't know why I put up with you sometimes," Kagome muttered under her breath as she ran to catch up with the half-demon, leaving everyone else behind.

"Well, I suppose we best be on our way, then," Miroku suggested as he started walking, soon followed by Aang, who was still carrying Shippo, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, and Sango.

"Is Inuyasha always like this, Sango?" Zuko asked curiously as he walked alongside Sango.

"Yes, sometimes. It's not that he doesn't care, Zuko. It's just that he tries to put on a tough exterior and acts like he doesn't care about anyone other than himself. Inuyasha really does care, he just doesn't want to admit it," Sango explained.

"Hmm…" Zuko mumbled under his breath.

"Wow! What a beautiful river," Katara commented as the group started to cross a small wooden bridge over a babbling brook.

"Since we're here, we might as well take a little rest," Miroku suggested.

"I agree with that!" Sokka openly admitted as everyone stopped on the bridge.

"Hey, Sango, is there a special trick to using the Hiraikotsu?" Aang asked curiously.

"Um, yeah," Sango replied.

"Yes, it's quite large, and not easy to use," Miroku added.

"Hiraikotsu is the weapon that Sango uses, isn't it? I'd like to learn how to use it," Katara openly confessed, much to her brother's surprise.

"But, you need lots of practice to be able to use a Hiraikotsu," Kagome pointed out.

"Yes, I suppose you're right, Kagome," Katara reluctantly admitted.

"You're a little small to be using it, Katara. But, if you really want to learn, I'll help you step by step," Miroku offered. "I'm sure with both of us teaching, she should be able to pick it up. Right, Sango?"

"Sure. Fine," Sango stated with a hint of coldness in her voice.

"Sango, don't be so cold," Miroku muttered out of concern.

_I don't think Sango likes me very much, _Katara thought sadly to herself as she followed the others off of the bridge…


	16. Sango's Sad Tale

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Sixteen: Sango's Sad Tale**

"We've finally made it," Shippo announced as the group of travelers reached a fork in the road that was a short distance from a village.

"So, this is Tsuzumi Village," Zuko commented.

Just then, an elderly man with short black hair and a moustache was seen running towards them. He was wearing a pale yellow and pale blue kimono, a magenta vest, black pants, a turquoise bandana tied on top of his head, and sandals. In addition, the old man was being chased by a demon, which the group of nine recognized as a skelebird.

"Ahh! Help me!" the man shouted when he spotted the group of travelers.

"What? Oh, no, a demon!" Katara gasped.

"Old man, over here! Quick!" Sango shouted as the old man quickly followed her advice.

"If you even get in the way, I'll eat you, too!" the skelebird shouted angrily.

"Very funny! Just try it!" Inuyasha shouted. As the skelebird flew towards them, Zuko was the first to attack the demon with a blast of flames from his outstretched fist.

"Ahh! It burns!" the skelebird screamed frantically as it desperately tried to beat away the flames with its wings.

"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!" Inuyasha shouted as he dashed forward and tore the demon apart with his claws, leaving a pile of singed, smoldering bones and feathers on the ground.

"Huh. He was all talk," Inuyasha scoffed as the demon's aura rose up from the small pile of demon remains and faded away.

"Thank you so much," the old man admitted graciously as he stepped out from behind the group. "My name is Densuke. This area has become so dangerous. I went out to do some shopping for the festival, and all of a sudden, I was being chased. I didn't know what was going to become of me."

"Well, you're lucky we ran into you," Zuko pointed out.

"Yes, I'm glad you're okay," Katara openly confessed.

"Thank you so much for helping me. You must be in the middle of traveling, but if you like, you can stay at my home tonight," Densuke offered. "It's the least I can do in return for saving my life. You're very welcome to stay there."

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Densuke, really," Sokka started to decline.

"It would really be rude if you refused, Sokka," Miroku pointed out.

"Miroku," Sokka complained.

"It would be nice to sleep in a real bed," Kagome added.

"Oh, Kagome…" Sokka trailed off.

"Well, if you've decided, then come with me," Densuke revealed as he started back towards Tsuzumi Village, soon followed by the others…

"This is my home," Densuke announced as he led the nine weary travelers into his small, yet modest home. "It's not much, but you're welcome to stay here as long as you like. The rest of the highway is blocked, anyway."

"You mean the highway that goes to the castle?" Zuko inquired.

"Yes, all this heavy rainfall caused a big landslide. So, you can't use the highway now," Densuke explained.

"That's unfortunate," Katara reluctantly confessed.

"We're unlucky," Miroku stated with a content smile on his face.

"You look pretty happy though, Miroku," Shippo pointed out.

"No, not at all," Miroku claimed as his expression became somber. He then glanced over at Densuke and asked, "Anyway, are there any girls my age around here?"

"What?" Densuke asked curiously.

"Now, I get it," Inuyasha commented sarcastically.

"That's what I thought," Shippo remarked dully.

"Hey, Sango? Where are you going?" Katara asked curiously when she noticed that Sango was heading back towards the door, leaving her Hiraikotsu behind.

"If we're gonna be here for a while, I'm going to go see if I can find any information about the castle," Sango explained before leaving Densuke's house.

"Is she a Demon Slayer?" Densuke asked the others curiously. "She has a Demon Slayer's weapon."

"Yes, she is," Miroku replied.

"I see…" Densuke trailed off. "It's rare to see a Demon Slayer. Since that incident, we don't see them anymore."

"Demon Slayer? What's that?" Aang asked curiously.

"It's a specially trained person who goes after demons," Miroku explained.

"She lived in the Demon Slayer Village," Kagome added.

"Wow! A whole village of Demon Slayers?" Aang gasped softly out of astonishment.

"Yes, but please don't talk about it in front of Sango," Kagome suggested.

"Why is that, Kagome?" Zuko asked curiously.

"Because, through trickery, Naraku completely destroyed the Demon Slayer Village," Kagome reluctantly admitted.

"What happened to Sango's family?" Sokka asked.

"Well…" Kagome trailed off.

"The only ones that survived are Sango and her younger brother. Her younger brother was taken by Naraku," Miroku added with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Damn, Naraku!" Inuyasha muttered angrily under his breath.

"I didn't realize Sango had that in her past," Katara murmured with a hint of sadness in her voice…

As the sun started to go down and the sky began to grow dark, Sango appeared in the doorway to Densuke's house. "I'm back," she announced as she rejoined her companions.

"Welcome back. So, did you find anything out?" Miroku asked curiously as Sango sat down.

"No, I couldn't find many people," Sango reluctantly admitted. "They may have already retired for the night."

"Well, we can't use the highway now anyway, so we might as well take it easy," Miroku suggested.

"Exactly. Well, your beds are ready," Densuke revealed as he came out of the back room. "Why don't you call it a day and try to get some rest?"

"Thank you so much, Densuke. Good night, everyone," Sokka announced with a deep yawn as he got up and headed for the back room…

"Everybody, should we take the day off today?" Miroku suggested as he joined Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Sango, Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Zuko in the main sitting room of Densuke's house.

"Wow! It's rare to hear a suggestion from Miroku," Myoga gasped out of surprise as Miroku sat down in between Sango and Aang.

"Really!" Kagome commented a bit suspiciously.

"Do you think he found a pretty girl nearby?" Shippo wondered out loud, who was sitting on Aang's lap.

"No, it's just such a beautiful day…" Miroku trailed off.

"Huh," Sango scoffed aloud.

"No…well…ha, ha, ha," Miroku chuckled nervously.

"Ha! You guessed right," Inuyasha remarked.

"So, who do you want to travel with today, Aang?" Kagome asked curiously.

"I'll go with Shippo," Aang announced.

"Yeah, me, too," Katara added.

"I guess I'll go with you," Shippo agreed.

"Well, I think I'll go for a walk," Kagome announced as she stood up. "Come with me, Inuyasha!"

"Huh? Do I have to?" Inuyasha complained as Kagome gently pulled him to his feet by pulling on his arm.

"I'll join you," Zuko replied as he got up and left with Kagome and Inuyasha.

"Well, let's go cool off by the river," Miroku suggested to Sango as he stood up.

"Sounds good," Sango agreed as she got up as well.

"I'll go with you," Sokka added as he joined Miroku and Sango.

"We're gonna go, too," Shippo announced as he, Katara, and Aang all got up and left Densuke's house…

"What are you going to do today?" Shippo asked curiously. He, Katara, and Aang were standing just outside of Densuke's house.

"I'm going to pick herbs in the forest. Why don't you two come with me?" Katara suggested.

"Okay, Katara," Aang agreed as he and Shippo followed Katara down the path…

"Hey, Shippo?" Katara asked as she stopped on the trail that she, Aang, and Shippo were following into the forest.

"What?" Shippo asked curiously as he and Aang stopped as well.

"You should hold my hand, so you don't get lost," Katara suggested as she turned around to face Shippo and Aang.

"Don't be dumb! I don't wanna," Shippo remarked.

"Come on, you can hold my hand," Katara gently persuaded the fox demon as she knelt down in front of him. "See? It's fine."

"No, it's stupid! What are you doing? Let go, let go!" Shippo protested loudly when Katara picked him up.

"Why are you being so shy, Shippo?" Katara asked curiously. "I know! See…up, up, you go!"

Shippo let out a startled scream as Katara threw him up in the air and caught him in her arms. "Katara, what are you doing?" he exclaimed loudly.

"Shippo, you're as light as a doll! One more time! Up, up, you go!" Katara admitted with a giggle as she threw Shippo up in the air a second time.

"Whoaaaaa…! Ha, ha, ha, ha," Shippo laughed aloud as Katara caught him.

"There you go," Katara replied as she placed Shippo down on the ground.

"What, that's it? Boring," Shippo complained in a sulking tone.

"Oh, you like it now?" Katara asked a bit teasingly.

"Let me do it this time, Katara!" Aang pleaded as he stepped forward. "With my airbending, I can throw you even higher than that, Shippo!"

"Okay, let's see what you got, Aang!" Shippo remarked as he jumped into Aang's waiting arms…

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, a young girl was admiring the various wildflowers growing alongside the trail she was on. The girl had long black hair pulled back into a ponytail, and she was wearing a green full-length kimono underneath a pale pink kimono, a turquoise sash, and sandals.

"What a beautiful flower! It smells wonderful!" the girl commented as she knelt down on the path and leaned forward to sniff a large red flower. "Hmm? Ouch!" she cried out as she quickly moved away from the flower and covered her nose with her right hand.

Just then, a bug crawled out of the flower and flew away. At that moment, Kagome and Zuko approached the young girl.

"Are you okay?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Huh? Y-yes, I just got a bug bite on my face, that's all," the young girl explained as she brought her hand down, revealing a small red bump on the tip of her nose.

Just then, Inuyasha came running up towards them. "What happened?" he asked curiously as he came to a stop.

"She got a bug bite on her face!" Kagome explained. "It'll get worse if we leave it. Do we have any medicine for it?"

"Why are you making such a big deal about a little bug bite on the face?" Inuyasha asked nonchalantly.

"A little bite? You're so insensitive, Inuyasha!" Kagome complained loudly.

"Insensitive? What do you mean?" Inuyasha demanded, getting a frustrated groan from Kagome.

_Great, not again!_ Zuko thought to himself. _It seems those two can't go one day without fighting!_

"Do your friends always fight like this?" the girl asked curiously.

"Almost every day," Zuko replied with a frustrated sigh. "This might take a while. So, what's your name?"

"Ito," the girl replied as her cheeks became slightly flustered. "What about you, sir?"

"I'm Zuko," Zuko stated.

"Are you a Demon Slayer, Zuko?" Ito asked curiously. "I've heard that a Demon Slayer is staying in our village. My father has often told me that the Demon Slayers dress in black and wear armor."

"I'm no Demon Slayer…but I do travel with one," Zuko replied.

"Argh! You drive me crazy!" Kagome shouted loudly, causing Zuko and Ito to return their attention to the fight between her and Inuyasha.

"Are you in a bad mood?" Inuyasha asked curiously.

"Enough! Just get away from me!" Kagome told the half-demon firmly.

"Why are you so mad? I just don't get it. Suit yourself!" Inuyasha muttered angrily as he ran off in the other direction.

Once he was out of sight, Kagome returned her attention to Zuko and Ito. "I'm sorry about that. He can be so insensitive," she apologized.

Just then, to their surprise, Inuyasha ran back towards them and stopped behind Kagome as she turned around to face him. "Here," Inuyasha simply stated as he held out his hand, which had a plant resting in the palm of his hand.

"Huh?" Kagome gasped as Inuyasha gave her the plant.

"Maybe I'm not sensitive, but here's something instead. See ya!" Inuyasha remarked before leaving Kagome, Zuko, and Ito once again.

"Instead? Oh, it's an herb that heals bug bites," Kagome realized as she looked over the plant that Inuyasha gave her.

"Perhaps Inuyasha is not as insensitive as you think, Kagome," Zuko suggested.

"Yeah, I know…" Kagome trailed off as she knelt down in front of Ito. "Now, hold still. This will only sting a little bit," she instructed as she crushed the plant in her hand…

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DC: Once again, it's time to play "WHO…SAID…THAT!" Like I mentioned last time, I'll now give you one week from now to submit your answers, and you only need to identify who says the line I give you. And remember that three days after the contest ends, I'll post the new chapter, along with the names of the three winners. You have until March 23rd to submit your answers. Okay, here's the line: **"Look, all I'm saying is that we should be cautious. My instincts are telling me that this is a bad idea."**


	17. Aang Meets Kohaku

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

DC: Sorry about the delay with posting the new chapter. We've been having computer problems at home. Anyway, thanks to everyone who played "WHO SAID THAT!" There were only one winner this week: **Gir The Insane Flamin Ninja**. There was another winner, but I couldn't send the prize to that person. That's why I mentioned this before in the contest rules: if you're going to enter anonymously, provide your email so I can send you the prize if you win. If you don't want to post your email for everyone to see, you can always email me. My email address is available under my profile. Here's the answer: the speaker of the line is Sokka.

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**Chapter Seventeen: Aang Meets Kohaku**

"Ohh…I slept well…" Aang mumbled a bit drowsily as he sat up and stretched out his arms.

It took a few moments for Aang to realize that the rest of the beds were empty. He quickly got up, threw on his boots, grabbed his staff, and ran into the other room, where he nearly ran into Densuke.

"Hey, Densuke. Where did everyone go?" Aang asked curiously.

"You must have been really tired. Everyone else got up early and went to gather information and such," Densuke explained. "They said you should do the same once you woke up."

"How embarrassing!" Aang confessed with a sheepish grin. "I guess I better get going. See you later, Densuke." As Aang walked outside, the bright morning sunlight briefly stung his eyes for a few moments.

"I wonder where everyone is," Aang murmured aloud as he shielded his eyes with his free hand. When his gray eyes finally became better adjusted to the light, Aang started to explore the village…

"What's going on over there?" Aang wondered aloud when he noticed the activity going on in the village square of Tsuzumi Village.

As he reached the village square, Aang noticed some people gathered around a small wooden tower, with a large pond just a short distance away. There were three men, who were working on the tower, and a little girl sitting on the nearby grass.

One man, who was securing a ladder to the front of the tower, had black hair pulled back into a ponytail and a receding hairline, and was wearing a pink kimono, dark purple pants with green patches on the knees, and sandals.

The second man, who was standing to the right of the tower with a hammer, had short black hair and was wearing a light gray kimono, dark green pants, and sandals.

The third man standing to the left of the tower, who was much older than the other two men, had gray hair pulled back into a topknot and a bald spot on top of his head, and was wearing a lavender and lime green kimono, brown pants, and sandals.

The little girl had shoulder-length dark brown hair, and was wearing a lime green kimono, a pale pink sash, and sandals.

As Aang got closer to the tower, he saw that the ladder led up to a large drum contained within the tower. "Wow! That's the biggest drum I've ever seen!" the young airbender commented in awe.

"These big drums have been passed down through the generations," the man working with the ladder spoke up. "When it's festival time, we play the drums to keep away evil spirits and demonic auras. And we pray for a good harvest."

"So, who's playing the drums for the festival?" Aang wondered aloud.

"Huh? Who's gonna play the big drums? I am! I am!" the man with the hammer boasted proudly. "I can't wait to show everybody! I can't wait for people to see how beautiful I look in my loin cloth, playing the drums, with sweat on my brow!"

Aang grimaced a bit over the thought of seeing the man in a loin cloth. He chuckled a bit nervously as he slowly backed away from the man. He stopped walking backwards when he reached the side of the older man, who was still staring up at the tower as the two younger men continued their work.

"What are you doing, mister?" Aang finally asked.

"I'm supervising the construction of our drum tower, young man," the old man replied.

"Are you gonna play the drums, too?" Aang asked curiously.

"I'm afraid not," the old man confessed with a deep sigh. "It's not a secret that I played the drums when I was younger. I was so manly playing the drums. Many young girls sought after me. Now, I suffer from neuralgia, so my legs are numb."

"That's too bad," Aang commented. "Well…I guess I better get going."

As he was about to leave the village square, Aang heard a deep dejected sigh. He looked around a bit and realized that it was the little girl that had sighed so glumly.

"What's the matter?" Aang asked curiously as he sat down on the grass next to the girl.

"I wanted to play the drums, but they said it's too difficult, 'cuz I'm a kid," the little girl complained. "Don't you think that's unfair?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Aang trailed off. "Hey, have you seen any of my friends around here?"

"I dunno…what do they look like?" the girl asked curiously.

"Well…there's a boy and girl that both have dark brown hair and blue eyes, a guy wearing armor with a black ponytail and a burn scar over his left eye, a half-demon with long silver hair and dog ears wearing all red, a girl with long black hair wearing green and white, a little boy with a bushy tail, a monk dressed in a purple robe, and a girl with long brown hair dressed in a pink kimono," Aang quickly described everyone in his group.

"Umm…I've seen some of those people around the village…" the little girl slowly recalled. "They were asking everyone questions about a castle that's near here."

"Okay, thanks," Aang replied as he stood up and held his staff in between his elbow. To the little girl's astonishment, Aang formed a swirling ball of air in his hands, placed it on the ground, and hopped on top of it as it carried him away.

"Wow! How did he do that?" the little girl gasped softly out of awe as she stood up and watched Aang speed away on his air scooter…

"Time to get off now!" Aang announced as he jumped off of what remained of his air scooter, which soon disappeared.

Aang soon found himself at the end of the road, which was blocked off by a large pile of rocks, dirt, and uprooted trees and branches. There was a man digging at the pile of rocks with a pick axe. He had short black hair and was wearing a gray kimono, forest green pants, sandals, and a burgundy hat.

"Hey, mister, whatcha doing?" Aang asked curiously as he approached the man.

"What am I doing? Isn't it obvious, kid?" the man asked gruffly as he put down his pick axe, obviously a bit irritated by Aang. "I'm fixing the road. But, we've got a long way to go. We'll be done in about a month."

"One month?!" Aang exclaimed loudly out of shock.

"Yup, you won't be able to use this road for another month. We should have it done in time for the festival," the man explained as he picked up his pick axe.

"Okay…" Aang trailed off as he headed back down the road, leaving the man alone to continue his work.

"It's too bad I don't know any earthbending. Then, I could clear the path and we can get to the castle quicker," Aang muttered thoughtfully as he continued walking. He soon realized that he had walked completely past Tsuzumi Village and was back at the fork just outside of the village, where he and his friends first met Densuke.

"Hmm…I wonder where this leads," Aang wondered out loud as he walked down the trail branching off the main road. He soon reached a small clearing surrounded by trees and bushes.

Aang gasped loudly when he saw a young boy around his age being cornered by a demon, which he recognized as a skelebird. The boy had thick dark brown hair pulled back in a short bushy ponytail, brown eyes, and freckles sprinkled across his nose and cheeks. He was wearing a skintight black outfit with thin turquoise trim around the high collar; black boots with turquoise trim around the mid-section of the foot; antique gold armor plates with steel gray trim on his shoulders, elbows, knees, stomach, and lower back, all secured with straps of turquoise cloth; a long turquoise sash tied around his waist, with the ends hanging off of his right side; a navy blue sheathed sword with a white handle tucked into the sash; and a chain-and-sickle weapon in his hands.

"There's a demon! And a young boy!" Aang gasped loudly.

"What a tasty-looking child!" the demon openly admitted.

"He's gonna get you! Run away!" Aang shouted to the young boy.

"You're so scared, you can't run. Now, if you're really still, I'll try to make this as painless as I can," the skelebird claimed.

_If I don't do something, he's gonna eat that kid. But, if I attack that demon, I could end up hurting the boy. What can I do?_ Aang thought worriedly to himself.

"What?" the demon gasped, causing Aang to look up. He was surprised when the young boy threw his weapon at the skelebird.

"Aarghh!" the demon screamed loudly in pain. As the skelebird's demonic aura faded away, Aang quickly approached the young boy.

"Are you okay?" Aang asked curiously.

"Yes, I'm okay," the boy simply replied.

"I'm glad, but why didn't you run away?" Aang prodded.

Just then, a soft mew reached Aang's ears. He looked down and noticed a small orange, black, and white calico kitten standing at the young boy's feet.

"Oh, a cat!" Aang gasped. "Is it because the cat was here?"

"Yes," the boy stated.

"I see. That's really kind of you," Aang openly admitted.

"Really?" the boy asked curiously as his cheeks became flustered.

"Yeah, really. If it was me, I would have done the same. That's a cool-looking weapon," Aang commented, referring to the chain-and-sickle weapon that the boy had in his hands.

"It's called a Kusarigama," the boy replied.

"Can I see it?" Aang requested. The boy simply nodded as he handed his weapon to Aang.

"Wow, it's pretty heavy," Aang commented as he struggled a little bit just to hold it up.

"Yes, it's a bit different from the usual ones," the boy revealed as he took the Kusarigama back from Aang.

"Really? Why?" Aang asked curiously.

"Umm…" the boy trailed off.

"Oh, sorry," Aang apologized. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked. Um, are you from here?"

"No, I just got here three days ago," the boy revealed.

"I see…" Aang trailed off.

Just then, the cat started to wander away from Aang and the young boy, heading towards the trail leading back to Tsuzumi Village. "Oh, the cat…" the boy trailed off as he intently kept his eyes on the cat. "I gotta go. Bye! See you later."

"Okay. Hey, what's your name?" Aang asked curiously. "My name is Aang."

"It's Kohaku," the boy quickly introduced himself before following the cat down the trail, leaving Aang alone in the small clearing…

"I like that boy, Kohaku. I hope he doesn't leave anytime soon," Aang told himself as he wandered back into the village square. "I want to get to know him better, and introduce him to my friends, too."

As he casually looked around, Aang recognized a young woman standing at the shore of the pond. "Hey, what are you doing here, Sango?" Aang asked curiously as he joined Sango by the pond.

"Just looking at the flowers. These were my brother's favorite," Sango replied as she gestured towards a cluster of yellow flowers next to her.

"Your brother? I see…" Aang trailed off.

"I guess everyone told you and your friends about my past," Sango assumed.

"Yes, they did," Aang replied.

Sango sighed deeply as she looked out at the calm clear water of the pond, which was occasionally dotted with white lilies and bright green lily pads. "My brother was so kind; he almost didn't belong in Demon Slayer Village. My brother didn't like to fight, but he loved animals and flowers."

"Wow! I like animals and flowers, too! He must have been a really good brother," Aang commented.

"Yes…he was," Sango whispered solemnly. There was a brief pause between the two before Aang eventually cleared his throat.

"I'm gonna see if I can find the others. Do you want to come with me, Sango?" Aang asked curiously as Sango turned around to face him.

"I'm gonna stay here a while longer, Aang. You go ahead," Sango replied.

"Okay, see you later, Sango," Aang announced as he left Sango alone by the pond…

"Wow, that's pretty amazing, Katara!" Kagome openly admitted. She and Katara were standing on a small wooden bridge over a stream that led into the pond next to Tsuzumi Village. Katara was drawing a steady stream of water from the brook below them to fill up her water skin.

"Thanks, Kagome," Katara replied. As she looked up, Katara saw Aang approaching them. "Oh, hi, Aang!" she greeted cheerfully as she corked her water skin.

"Hey, Katara. Hey, Kagome," Aang muttered out loud as he joined Katara and Kagome on the bridge.

"What happened, Aang? Why the long face?" Katara asked curiously when she noticed the sad look in Aang's gray eyes.

"Oh, Sango was just telling me about her little brother," Aang solemnly revealed.

"I see," Kagome muttered out loud. "Naraku took Kohaku so that he could try to control Sango. Naraku is so evil!"

"So, he tried to use Kohaku…what! Did you just say Kohaku?" Aang exclaimed loudly.

"Yes, I did," Kagome replied.

"It couldn't be, but…" Aang trailed off.

"What happened, Aang?" Katara asked curiously.

_This can't be a coincidence. That boy's name was Kohaku, too,_ Aang thought to himself. _And he was using the same weapon as Sango. I should ask him._

"Aang, are you okay?" Kagome asked, bringing Aang out of his train of thought.

"Oh, umm…I'm sorry, Kagome, but I have to do something now," Aang apologized. "Come with me, Katara."

"Okay…but what for?" Katara asked curiously.

"I'll tell you on the way. Let's go!" Aang announced as he grabbed Katara's hand and started heading down the main road.

"I guess I'll see you later, Kagome. Bye!" Katara shouted.

"Bye…" Kagome trailed off as she watched Aang and Katara disappear down the road…

"Huh!" Sokka grunted softly as he threw his boomerang as hard as he could. The metal boomerang circled around several trees before returning back to its owner.

Sokka took a moment to glance down at Zuko, who was sitting with his legs crossed and his eyes closed in deep meditation. Sokka simply shook his head as he threw his boomerang a second time.

"Can't you practice throwing your toy around somewhere else?" Zuko asked in an annoyed tone as he opened his eyes and glared at Sokka. "I'm trying to meditate here."

"It's not a toy, Zuko! It's a weapon!" Sokka pointed out as he caught his boomerang again. "Why don't you find another place to meditate? I was here first."

Zuko simply scoffed as he turned away from Sokka and closed his eyes. "Water Tribe peasant!" he muttered under his breath.

"Spoiled Fire Nation brat!" Sokka retorted under his breath as he folded his arms in front of his chest, with the boomerang still in hand. After a few moments, it dawned on the two boys that the other one had just insulted them.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?" Sokka and Zuko demanded simultaneously as Zuko quickly stood up and got in Sokka's face.

Before they could get in a bout over the matter, Aang ran past them at such an incredible speed that the force of the wind knocked both Sokka and Zuko off of their feet.

"Aang! Slow down! You're going too fast!" Katara shouted as she came to a stop. She looked over at Sokka and Zuko, who were just getting up. "Are you two okay?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sokka muttered out loud.

"What is his hurry, anyway?" Zuko demanded. "It's not like we can go anywhere. The road to the castle is blocked off."

Before Katara had a chance to answer, Aang quickly came running back. "Come on, Katara! If we hurry, we can find Kohaku!" Aang announced a bit impatiently.

"Before we go, Aang, I think you owe Sokka and Zuko an apology," Katara interrupted. "You knocked both of them over when you ran by."

"Oh…sorry, guys!" Aang apologized with a sheepish grin.

"Okay, umm…who is this Kohaku, and why is it so important to find him?" Sokka asked curiously as he put away his boomerang.

"I'll explain it to you on the way, Sokka. Do you want to come with us?" Katara asked curiously.

"Okay, sure," Sokka quickly agreed without hesitation as he joined Katara and Aang. "Anything's better than hanging out with Mr. High and Mighty here!"

"At least, I'll finally get some peace and quiet!" Zuko remarked as he sat back down and resumed his meditation.

"Whatever!" Sokka scoffed as he left with Katara and Aang. "So, who is Kohaku?"

"Kohaku is Sango's little brother," Aang replied. "I met him myself just a while ago."

"Sango's little brother?" Sokka repeated. "But, wasn't he taken by Naraku?"

"That's what Kagome said," Katara added.

"Yeah, I know, but he must have escaped or something," Aang suggested.

"But, how can we be sure this isn't a trap, Aang? Kagome did say that Naraku was controlling Sango's brother," Sokka reminded Aang and Katara.

"I know, Sokka…but the Kohaku I met was really nice and kinda shy," Aang revealed. "He saved a cat from being eaten by a demon. That doesn't sound like someone who's being controlled by an evil demon to me."

"I don't know about this…" Sokka muttered a bit worriedly.

"Who knows, Sokka? Maybe Kohaku managed to break free from Naraku's control," Katara pointed out. "With everything we've seen here so far, I think it's possible for something like that to happen."

"Yeah, maybe…" Sokka trailed off a bit uncertainly as they reached the fork in the main road.

"It's down this path that I met Kohaku. Maybe he came back down here," Aang suggested as he ran down the trail, followed by Katara and Sokka. The three friends soon reached the clearing where Aang had met Kohaku.

At that moment, a young man emerged from the trees on the opposite end of the clearing. He had short brown hair and he was wearing a long-sleeve white shirt, a brown leather vest with a matching hood over his head, green pants, a black sash, and knee-high brown leather boots. The young man carried a fishing pole, a bow, and a small quiver over his shoulder, indicating that he was a hunter. He sighed deeply out of frustration as he stared down at the ground.

"Um, excuse me?" Aang asked curiously.

"Maybe I'm no good at this," the young man sighed deeply. "I caught one little sparrow today in front of the headman's house. It's not even enough for dinner."

"Excuse me. Can I ask you something?" Aang interrupted.

"Uh, sure. What is it?" the young man asked curiously.

"Do you know the boy that was here before?" Aang asked curiously. "His name is Kohaku."

"The boy playing with the cat?" the young man recalled, which Aang confirmed with a quick nod. "Yeah, I just saw him walking over there."

"Thank you for your help, sir…and I don't think you can hunt in the city," Sokka pointed out.

"Oh…that's what I thought…" the young man trailed off in a dishearten tone as he headed back to the main road. Just then, a soft meow reached the three kids' ears.

"Look! There's the cat that was with Kohaku," Aang gasped when he recognized the calico cat, who was sitting by some bushes. As Aang, Katara, and Sokka started to approach the cat, it got up and walked through the bushes.

"I wonder where it's going?" Katara wondered aloud as she, Aang, and Sokka approached the bushes where the cat disappeared.

"I'm pretty sure that cat went in somewhere around here…" Aang trailed off as he parted the bushes in search of the cat. "Hey, look! There's another road back here!"

"You can't really tell since the bushes conceal it so well," Sokka pointed out as he, Aang, and Katara made their way through the bushes and started down the newly discovered road. After walking for a short distance, the three children came across a bend in the road.

"I see him! There's Kohaku!" Aang whispered excitedly as he pointed at the boy that was just ahead of them.

"I do see some resemblance between him and Sango…that must be her little brother," Katara admitted. Just then, Kohaku walked right into the mouth of a dark cave within the wall of a tall cliff.

"A cave? Where's he going?" Aang wondered aloud as he, Katara, and Sokka approached the cave opening.

"Well, there's only one way to find out, Aang. Let's go follow him," Katara suggested as she started to walk towards the cave opening, followed closely behind by Aang.

"Wait a minute!" Sokka shouted, causing Aang and Katara to stop in their tracks.

"What is it, Sokka?" Aang asked curiously.

"Maybe we shouldn't be following him. Kohaku could be leading us into a trap," Sokka suggested.

"Come on, Sokka. He's just a little boy," Katara reminded her older brother.

"Yeah…a little boy who's been trained to fight and kill demons!" Sokka remarked loudly. "Look, all I'm saying is that we should be cautious. My instincts are telling me that this is a bad idea."

"Your instincts have been wrong before," Katara pointed out.

"She's right," Aang added.

"Okay…so I was wrong a few times, but I've been right sometimes, you know. Like, I was right about that guy, Jet. He turned out to be a total jerk!" Sokka argued as he reluctantly followed Katara and Aang into the cave…


	18. A Dangerous Encounter

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Eighteen: A Dangerous Encounter**

Zuko took in a deep cleansing breath and slowly let it out. He was glad that he was finally alone, where he could meditate in peace.

_Finally, no interruptions from the Avatar, those two Water Tribe children, or anyone from Inuyasha's group,_ Zuko thought to himself. _Although, truth be told, I certainly wouldn't mind if…_

"Excuse me…Zuko?" a familiar girl's voice asked as a hand gently tapped Zuko on his left arm. Zuko opened his eyes and looked up at Sango, who was standing right next to him, with Kirara at her feet.

"Oh…hi, Sango," Zuko greeted.

"I apologize for interrupting your meditation, Zuko…but have you seen Aang come by here recently?" Sango asked curiously. "Kagome said that he and Katara had left her in such a hurry without much explanation."

"Yeah, they went by here," Zuko replied as he stood up. "Sokka went with them, too. Aang was excited over finding some boy he met earlier named…Kohaku, I believe." He was surprised to hear a startled gasp coming from Sango.

"Are you certain that's the name he spoke?" Sango inquired curiously.

"Yes, I'm certain he said the name Kohaku. It's quite a unique name. I've never heard of it before," Zuko continued. When he looked back up at Sango, Zuko was surprised to see an alarmed look on her face. "Sango, what's wrong?"

Sango looked Zuko directly in the eyes and stated, "If your friends are indeed trying to find Kohaku, they're in great danger!"

"But, how? I don't see why…" Zuko trailed off when he soon realized what Sango was getting at. "Kohaku…he's your brother, isn't he?" Sango simply nodded her head in response.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. When they told us of your past, they never mentioned your brother's name…at least, not to me," Zuko solemnly apologized.

"I understand, Zuko. Kagome told me that she had just recently mentioned my brother's name to Aang and Katara for the first time," Sango replied. "We must find them before it's too late!"

"Right," Zuko agreed as he and Sango ran down the trail…

"That's weird. I thought for sure he went this way," Aang muttered in a dishearten tone as he, Katara, and Sokka walked through yet another tunnel in the cave, which was dimly lit with a large lantern on the wall, like all the other tunnels they had already been through.

"I'm sorry, Aang. It looks like we lost Kohaku," Katara apologized.

"Maybe we should head back," Sokka suggested. "We've been in this cave for a while now. Everyone's probably worried about us. Besides, who knows how many tunnels are in this cave?"

"Sokka's right. It is getting late. Besides, since we have to wait a month for the road to the castle to be fixed, we'll have plenty of time to explore the cave," Katara tried to reassure Aang.

"Okay…but before we go, can we try asking that man over there if he's seen Kohaku?" Aang asked as he pointed at an older man further down the tunnel, who had a lantern by his feet while he was digging at the ground with a pick axe.

"I guess there'd be no harm in asking him," Katara replied as she, Aang, and Sokka approached the old man with his gray hair pulled back into ponytail and a receding hairline. As the three children got closer to the man, they saw that he was wearing a pink kimono, forest green pants, and sandals.

"One…two…three…four! One…two…three…four! And I keep on digging, but still no money," the man grumbled under his breath as he continued digging.

"Um, excuse me?" Sokka asked as he tapped the old man on the shoulder.

"Whoa!" the man exclaimed loudly as he turned around to face Sokka, Katara, and Aang.

"Ahh! You scared me!" Katara gasped out loud.

"I'm surprised to see someone else on this road," the old man revealed. "I'm the only one who knows about this secret back road."

"Back road?" Aang repeated. "Does it go to the castle?"

"Uh-oh. I said too much," the old man soon realized.

"That's great!" Aang exclaimed. "Don't worry, we won't tell anyone else."

"Okay, good," the old man replied with a nod of his head. "If people find out about this road, I won't have the chance to find my pot of gold."

"Pot of gold. Hmm…good luck with that!" Katara replied.

"Oh, did you see anyone else pass by here?" Aang asked curiously.

"Nope, nobody's come through here," the old man revealed.

"Really? He must have gone back the other way then," Aang muttered out loud.

"Come on, Aang. Let's go. We need to tell the others about this secret back road," Katara suggested as the three children headed back in the other direction, while the old man resumed his digging…

"Hello! Is there anyone here?" Zuko shouted aloud, only to get no response.

"Strange…that fisherman said this was where he last saw your friends," Sango muttered out loud as she looked around the small clearing, where the fisherman had directed her and Zuko to go.

"They couldn't have just vanished. They must have gone somewhere," Zuko murmured thoughtfully as he started walking towards the surrounding brush, unaware that Sango had stepped behind a large tree. Out of curiosity, the teenage firebender parted the bushes in front of him and made an important discovery.

"Hey, there's a path behind these bushes," Zuko realized as he stepped back from the bushes. "They must have gone this way, Sango." When Zuko turned back around, he was surprised to see that Sango was no longer there.

"Sango? Sango, where are you?" Zuko asked curiously as he looked around for her.

"Right here, Zuko," Sango announced as she stepped out from behind the tree, tying her hair back into a ponytail high on top of her head with a red hair band.

Sango was now wearing her Demon Slayer uniform, which consisted of a skintight black outfit with thin red trim around the high collar and an antique gold pattern sewn into the left side near the collar; black boots with red trim around the mid-section of the foot; dark pink armor plates with steel trim on her shoulders, elbows, knees, stomach, and lower back, all secured with straps of red cloth; a long red sash tied around her waist, with the ends hanging off of her right side; a maroon sheathed sword with a white handle tucked into the sash; and her Hiraikotsu slung over her back. Zuko felt his face become flustered when he first saw Sango in the formfitting outfit, which showed off her well-toned feminine figure nicely.

"Sorry I took so long, Zuko. There's a good chance we'll come across some demons while we're looking for your friends, and it's easier for me to move around and fight in my Slayer uniform rather than my kimono. Zuko…are you okay?" Sango asked curiously when she noticed that Zuko was staring at her rather strangely.

"Uh…yeah, I'm fine," Zuko stammered as he quickly turned away from Sango. "We better go find Aang, Katara, and Sokka."

"Of course, let's go," Sango replied as she headed down the concealed trail, followed by Kirara and a somewhat confused Zuko.

_What is wrong with me? Why did I react that way towards Sango?_ Zuko thought to himself. _I never reacted like that towards a girl before in my life…but, then again, Sango's different from all the girls I've ever met, much different._

"Look, Zuko. There's a cave ahead," Sango announced.

Zuko quickly looked up and saw the opening in the rock wall that Sango was pointing at. "Do you think they possibly went inside?" he asked.

"It wouldn't hurt to look inside and check for ourselves," Sango replied as she stepped into the cave opening, followed by Zuko and Kirara.

"Looks pretty dark in there," Zuko commented as he looked around at the seemingly endless darkness of the cave.

"There's no telling how big this cavern is. We'll have a better chance of finding your friends by riding on Kirara," Sango replied.

"Riding on Kirara? I don't see how even one of us…can…" Zuko slowly trailed off as Kirara became encased in a large ball of fire. As the flames eventually disappeared, they revealed a much larger Kirara that was almost as tall as Sango. In addition, Kirara now bore a pair of long protruding fangs from her upper jaw.

"Well…that answers that question," Zuko realized as Sango climbed onto Kirara's back.

"Come on, Zuko, get on," Sango instructed as she patted on a spot on Kirara's back right behind her.

"Uhh…" Zuko trailed off a bit nervously.

"Hurry up, Zuko. There's no time to waste," Sango pointed out.

"Right, of course," Zuko agreed as he got on Kirara's back.

Almost immediately, Kirara ran further into the cave and actually took off in the air with flames covering her paws, which lit up the cave below them. Without even thinking about it first, Zuko instinctively placed his hands on Sango's waist so he wouldn't fall off.

"Take it easy! You're not gonna fall off, Zuko!" Sango tried to reassure Zuko.

It was then that Zuko realized where his hands were. "Oh…sorry!" he quickly apologized as he started to remove his hands from Sango's waist.

"It's okay, Zuko. You can keep your hands there, if you wish. Just as long as they don't venture anywhere else, understood?" Sango sternly warned the teenage firebender.

"Yes, of course. Trust me, I'm very considerate of all women," Zuko replied.

"I'm not saying I don't trust you. It's just that I've learned that not all men can be trusted," Sango stated.

"You must be referring to Miroku, right?" Zuko asked nonchalantly, although he already knew the answer. Sango simply glanced back at him over her shoulder.

"Well, if not him, then who else? I've witnessed Miroku's lewd behavior for myself. Just a couple of days ago, he asked Densuke if there were any women his age in the village," Zuko reminded Sango. "And Miroku had the nerve to ask Katara to be the mother of his children just moments after meeting her? She's still just a child herself!"

"Zuko…I'm aware that Miroku's behavior towards women is…questionable, to say the least. But, now's not the time to discuss this. We need to focus on finding your friends before they run into Kohaku," Sango pointed out. "My brother's no longer in control of his actions. He's a trained Demon Slayer that's being manipulated by Naraku. He could seriously hurt Aang, Katara, and Sokka…or worse."

"Right…" Zuko trailed off as they continued their search…

"Are we almost back at the entrance of the cave? I feel like we've been walking forever!" Sokka complained loudly as he, Katara, and Aang stopped for a moment to rest.

"It's not so dark in this cave anymore, so I think we're getting closer," Katara pointed out.

"All right, let's keep going," Aang announced as he, Sokka, and Katara continued walking. They had only gone a short distance when they came across a young boy with his back towards them.

"Oh!" Katara gasped softly out of surprise.

As the boy turned around to face them, Aang's eyes quickly lit up; for he recognized the boy as the one he met earlier that day, the one who introduced himself as Kohaku.

"Hi, Kohaku! It's me, Aang, and these are my friends, Katara and Sokka," Aang greeted enthusiastically. "Kohaku, do you have a sister named Sango?"

"Huh?" Kohaku gasped a bit out of confusion. As Kohaku tried hard to recall why that name sounded so familiar to him, Aang and his friends were unaware that a malicious force was at work.

"_Kohaku, capture that boy, the one dressed in blue,"_ a man's voice commanded telepathically through Kohaku's mind.

"Kohaku, are you okay?" Aang asked curiously when he noticed that Kohaku was staring at them with a strange vacant look in his eyes. Sokka's eyes widened when he saw Kohaku reaching for the Kusarigama tucked in his sash.

"Look out!" Sokka shouted just as Kohaku threw the Kusarigama at him, Katara, and Aang. Sokka and Katara managed to avoid the large curved blade of Kohaku's weapon as it swung by just inches away from them, but Aang wasn't so fortunate.

"AHH!" Aang screamed loudly out of pain as he fell to his knees and clutched his right upper arm with his left hand.

"Aang! You're hurt!" Katara gasped out loud when she saw the blood slowly seeping through Aang's fingers.

"Kohaku, what's wrong? Don't you know it's me?" Aang asked, trying hard to fight back his tears as he slowly stood up.

"Uhh…" Kohaku murmured softly as he stared at Aang with a vacant expression on his face.

"I don't think that's Kohaku anymore, Aang," Katara reluctantly admitted as she and Sokka ran to Aang's side. "Look at his eyes. It's like there's nothing in there, just an empty shell."

As the three friends slowly backed away from Kohaku, the young boy looked up for some reason. Kohaku quickly jumped back as a familiar large boomerang-shaped weapon was thrown down at him, becoming partially embedded in the stone floor of the cave.

"Hey, isn't that…" Sokka started to say.

Before Sokka could finish, they all heard a familiar voice from above shout, "Stop it, Kohaku!" Katara, Sokka, and Aang were surprised to see Sango and Zuko riding on a large flying beast that strongly resembled Kirara.

"Sango! Zuko! How did you get here?" Katara asked curiously as Sango and Zuko climbed off of the large cat right after she landed on the ground.

Just then, Kagura suddenly appeared out of the surrounding darkness and stopped by Kohaku's side. "You're useless!" she shouted angrily.

"It's Kagura!" Sokka gasped.

"How nice! You remember me," Kagura remarked nonchalantly.

"What do you want?" Sokka demanded.

"I'm not the one directly doing anything. Isn't that right, woman of Demon Slayer?" Kagura asked as she directed her attention to Sango.

"You cheater," Sango muttered angrily.

"Kohaku is going to catch this boy, so stand back and watch. Don't do anything you'll be sorry for. Kohaku's life is in the balance," Kagura reminded Sango.

"You…" Sango grumbled angrily through clenched teeth as she gripped the handle of her sheathed katana tightly.

"You witch!" Zuko shouted angrily as he formed a fire ball in one hand, preparing to throw it at Kagura.

"Please don't, Zuko," Sango pleaded. With a reluctant sigh, Zuko gave in to Sango's plea and snuffed out the fire ball.

"Okay, Kohaku, hurry up and get him," Kagura instructed the younger Demon Slayer.

"How dare you, Kagura! We'll never forgive you for this," Katara shouted angrily.

"Don't you get it? If any of you try to resist, Kohaku loses his life," Kagura pointed out, causing Aang, Katara, and Sokka to let out startled gasps.

"Kohaku…What should I do?" Sango mumbled worriedly.

_What should I do? If I don't do anything, Kohaku could die,_ Sokka thought to himself. _But, what do I do?_

Just then, Sokka noticed a large boulder jutting out of the cavern wall above Kagura and Kohaku's heads. _It's too dark in here to tell if that's even Serpentine rock…but, maybe if I can hit it just right…_ Sokka thought to himself as he slowly reached for his boomerang.

Sokka saw his moment of opportunity when Kagura leaned forward to whisper something to Kohaku. Just as Sokka was about to throw his boomerang, Zuko caught out of the corner of his eye that the metal boomerang was glowing with a familiar red light.

_How is he doing that? Since when did he learn to transfer the Shikigami power to his weapons?_ Zuko wondered to himself as Sokka threw the boomerang as hard as he could.

"Huh!" Kagura gasped as she and Kohaku quickly ducked down, both believing that the boomerang was being aimed at them. Instead, the boomerang swooped upwards and became embedded in the rock wall right below the jutting boulder.

"Hahaha! What are you aiming at?" Kagura scoffed with a laugh as she and Kohaku stood back up. Suddenly, the cave started to rumble loudly as chunks of rock, dust, and debris started to rain down on everyone.

"Damn, I see," Kagura muttered angrily as she and Kohaku started to leave.

"Kohaku!" Sango shouted as she tried to run after her brother, only to be stopped by Zuko grabbing her arm firmly.

"Zuko, what are you doing? Let me go!" Sango demanded loudly as she glared angrily at Zuko.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash right behind Sango. When she looked over her shoulder, Sango gasped when she saw the large boulder on the ground, which wasn't there before. It soon dawned on the female Demon Slayer that if Zuko hadn't stopped her in time, she would have been crushed by the boulder.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Zuko. You saved my life just now," Sango solemnly apologized as she turned back around to face Zuko.

"Umm…no problem at all," Zuko replied as he let go of Sango's arm. As soon as all the debris and rumbling stopped, Katara, Aang, and Sokka quickly joined Sango and Zuko.

"Sango! Zuko! Are you two alright?" Katara asked curiously.

"Katara, where's Kohaku?" Sango asked.

"I'm sorry, we lost him," Katara reluctantly admitted. "I think he went with Kagura."

"I see…he's gone…" Sango trailed off.

"I'm sorry, Sango," Katara apologized.

"No, I'm sorry," Sango apologized.

"But, Sango, how did you and Zuko get here?" Sokka asked curiously.

"Zuko told me that you were looking for Kohaku. Then, we met a young fisherman who led us in this direction," Sango explained.

"Oh, right…that fisherman," Sokka recalled.

"I heard the three of you went alone, so…I'm really sorry," Sango apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Katara replied.

"I couldn't do anything when Kohaku was trying to attack you," Sango reluctantly admitted with a guilt-ridden expression on her face.

"He's your brother, Sango. Of course, you couldn't," Katara pointed out.

"But, if something happened to any of you, I…" Sango trailed off as she stared down at the ground.

"Sango, please don't worry about it anymore," Katara stated as she placed her hands on Sango's shoulders to comfort her.

"But, why were you three here by yourselves?" Sango inquired curiously as she looked up at Katara.

"Why?" Katara repeated as she removed her hands from Sango's shoulders and backed away a bit.

"Everyone told you about Kohaku. So, you must have known that Naraku was using Kohaku. So, why did you go by yourselves?" Sango asked.

"Well…" Katara trailed off, not wanting to get Aang in trouble, since it was his idea to look for Kohaku in the first place.

"It was my fault, Sango," Aang spoke up. "I met Kohaku before, and I thought maybe he was back to normal. I convinced Katara and Sokka to help me find him. I'm sorry."

"Don't do things by yourself anymore. We're a team, right?" Sango asked as she approached her Hiraikotsu and pulled it free from the stone floor almost effortlessly.

"Sango…thank you. That makes me so happy," Katara openly admitted.

"Let's go back. Everyone's waiting," Sango suggested as she secured the Hiraikotsu to her back.

"Oh, yeah. When we were heading this way, we found a road that leads to the castle," Sokka announced.

"Really? That'll save us a great deal of waiting," Zuko remarked.

"Let's go tell everyone, quickly," Aang added as he stepped in front of Katara and Sokka. It was then that Sango noticed that Aang was gripping his right arm tightly, with the fingers on his left hand stained with blood.

"Aang…what happened to your arm? Did Kohaku do this to you?" Sango asked a bit hesitantly.

"Yeah…but it wasn't his fault," Aang replied.

"What do you mean by that, Aang? Katara and I both saw him throw that Kusarigama at you!" Sokka pointed out.

"Kohaku wasn't in control of his actions, someone else was," Aang explained. "It was probably that Naraku that everyone told us about."

"Let me take a look, Aang," Sango requested as she knelt down to the young airbender's level. Aang nodded his head as he approached Sango and removed his hand from his wound.

"Looks really deep. I'll take care of it for now," Sango muttered out loud as she took out a strip of cloth and wrapped it tightly around Aang's wound. "Once we return to Densuke's house, you should have Kagome take a look at this, Aang. The medicines she brings with her from the modern era are stronger than anything we have here."

"Okay, Sango," Aang agreed as Sango tied the two loose ends together in a knot.

"Are you in pain at all, Aang?" Sango asked curiously.

"A little," Aang simply replied.

"Well, just to be safe, I want you to ride on Kirara until we return to the village," Sango suggested as she gestured towards the large demon cat.

"That's…Kirara?" Aang asked out of disbelief. "Wow, she got really big!" Just then, Kirara turned her head and looked at Aang questionably with a soft growl.

"I didn't mean that it was a bad thing, Kirara!" Aang denied with a sheepish grin. Sango giggled a bit as she approached Aang from behind and picked him up.

"Up you go!" she announced as she placed Aang on Kirara's back. "All right, let's go now." As Sango, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, Aang, and Kirara headed towards the cavern opening, Sokka noticed out of the corner of his eye that Zuko was staring right at him.

"Why are you staring at me?" Sokka finally asked as he looked back over his shoulder at the teenage firebender.

"I wasn't staring!" Zuko firmed denied.

"Yeah, right!" Sokka scoffed as he turned back around. There were a few moments of silence as Zuko quickened his pace slightly until he was walking alongside the Water Tribe boy he could barely tolerate.

"So…how did you do it?" Zuko eventually asked Sokka.

"How did I do what?" Sokka asked as he glanced over at Zuko with a puzzled expression on his face.

"How did you transfer the power of the Shikigami into your boomerang before you threw it?" Zuko prodded.

"What? I did that?" Sokka exclaimed loudly, drawing everyone else's attention to him.

"You did what, Sokka?" Katara asked curiously as she, Aang, Sango, and Kirara looked back at Sokka and Zuko.

"Before Sokka threw his boomerang, it was glowing red with the light of the Shikigami power," Zuko explained. "I merely asked how he did it, since he never tried that before."

"Actually…I don't know how I did it…" Sokka trailed off. "I wasn't even trying to use the Shikigami."

"There's no need to be alarmed about this, Sokka. This is actually a good sign," Sango pointed out.

"Really? How is that a good sign?" Sokka questioned the Demon Slayer.

"It's simply a sign that your powers are growing stronger," Sango explained. "You were able to wield the Shikigami power without much effort this time. From here on, you'll just continue to improve with your new abilities, Sokka."

"Finally, some good news for once!" Sokka remarked as he relaxed a little. Suddenly, Sango abruptly stopped in her tracks.

"Sango, what's wrong? Why did you stop?" Katara questioned the Demon Slayer as she, Sokka, Zuko, Aang, and Kirara stopped as well.

"I sense a demonic presence nearby. We are not alone here," Sango stated as she glanced cautiously about the cave.

"Is it Kagura? Has she returned?" Zuko asked curiously.

"No, it's not her. It's something else," Sango replied.

Just then, a shadowy figure came into view from behind some jutted rocks. As the figure came closer to the group of six, it became obvious that the mysterious figure was a demon that resembled a large badger with dark gray fur and red eyes. The demon was wearing a flowing green robe, gray pants, brown sandals, and a forest green cap.

"What is that?" Sokka asked curiously.

"A badger demon," Sango replied. "You four stay back. This won't take long."

Katara, Sokka, Zuko, Aang, and Kirara stood back as Sango stepped towards the badger demon with her Hiraikotsu at the ready. The badger demon hissed menacingly at Sango as he crouched down, preparing to pounce on the Demon Slayer.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango shouted as she threw her massive weapon at the badger demon. The demon managed to duck under the Hiraikotsu as it spun over his head.

"Sango! Look out!" Aang shouted worriedly as the badger demon jumped towards her.

Sango leapt backwards, barely avoiding getting scratched by the badger demon's sharp claws. As the badger demon prepared to attack Sango again, he was unaware that the Hiraikotsu was coming back. The badger demon turned his head around when he heard the loud swirling sound and hissed loudly out of pain as the Hiraikotsu split him in two through the waist.

"Phew!" Sango gasped out of relief as she caught her Hiraikotsu, while the split halves of the badger demon fell to the ground. "That was a little more difficult than I anticipated." As the demon's aura faded away, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and even Zuko stared wide-eyed at Sango in disbelief.

"Wow! That was amazing, Sango!" Katara gasped out of astonishment as Sango turned around to face them.

"It was nothing. I've been slaying demons for five years now, and I've been training for this all my life," Sango simply replied as she strapped the Hiraikotsu across her back. "Come, we should rejoin the others quickly."

"Okay, sure," Sokka replied as he and Katara followed Sango, with Zuko and Aang trailing behind a bit.

"Did you see that, Zuko? Sango's incredible!" Aang commented admirably as he looked down at Zuko from his perch on Kirara's back.

"No kidding…" Zuko trailed off…

It was just starting to grow dark when Aang, Sokka, Katara, Zuko, Kirara, and Sango returned to Densuke's house. Kirara was back to her normal size, and Sango had changed back into her kimono and skirt wrap. They found Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, and Miroku waiting for them in the sitting room.

"What were you guys doing all this time?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically.

"You all disappeared so suddenly. We were worried," Shippo confessed.

"Even Sango, who went to look for you, didn't come back," Miroku added.

"Sorry if we worried you all. We were just…doing some exploring," Sokka replied.

"Anyway, we're glad you're all safe," Kagome admitted.

"We're all very sorry," Katara apologized, not being able to conceal the pleased smile on her face.

"Hmm…you look happy, Katara," Miroku observed. "Did something good happen?"

"Not exactly," Katara replied.

"Why don't you tell me?" Miroku requested as he stood up. "We don't have any secrets between us."

"Miroku, behave yourself, or Sango will be offended," Kagome complained as Miroku approached Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, and Sango.

"I don't get offended," Sango stated as she turned her back to Miroku.

"Of course, I was worried about Sango, too," Miroku revealed.

"Were you really, Miroku?" Sango asked curiously as she glanced at Miroku over her shoulder.

"Yes, I was," Miroku confirmed. Sango quickly turned her head back so that Miroku wouldn't see her cheeks turning red.

"Why are you blushing, Sango?" Aang asked curiously as Miroku approached Sango from behind.

_You have got to be kidding me!_ Zuko thought out of disbelief.

_I wonder if Sango likes Miroku,_ Katara thought to herself. Suddenly, to the surprise of Zuko, Sokka, and Katara, Miroku reached out with his right hand and touched Sango right on her bum.

"Come on, Katara! Why are you doing this?" Aang complained loudly when Katara quickly covered his eyes with her hands.

"Trust me, Aang, this is something you don't want to see," Katara stated firmly.

"Miroku…why are you touching me?" Sango muttered angrily through clenched teeth.

"Uh…heheheh…" Miroku chuckled nervously as he quickly removed his hand and backed away a few steps.

Zuko, Katara, and Sokka weren't at all surprised when Sango turned around to face Miroku and slapped him hard across his face, leaving a red handprint on the left side of his face.

"What happened? Who slapped who?" Aang asked curiously just as Katara finally removed her hands from his eyes. He gasped slightly when he saw the red handprint on Miroku's face.

"Why are they always like this?" Shippo sighed deeply as he shook his head in disappointment.

"Sango's gonna get into a bad mood again," Inuyasha mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for the others to overhear.

_I see…Sango was treating me like that because Miroku was giving me so much attention. It's not because she doesn't like me"_ Katara realized in her thoughts.

"Is something wrong, Katara?" Kagome asked curiously.

"No, it's nothing," Katara replied.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you! We found a road that goes to the castle," Aang announced, which got everyone's immediate attention.

"Really!" Inuyasha gasped loudly out of surprise.

"Yes, you can get there from a cave on the outskirts of the village," Sokka revealed.

"That's great!" Kagome exclaimed.

"It would be best to get some rest first," Sango suggested after she calmed down a bit from her humiliating encounter with Miroku just moments ago. "The journey to the castle is a long one. Also, Aang needs some time to recover from his injury."

"Oh, Aang, what happened?" Kagome gasped when she noticed Aang's bandaged arm.

"Oh, it's just a cut, Kagome," Aang replied as Kagome approached him.

"Don't worry, Aang. I have some medicine I can use, so it won't get infected, and we need to wash that blood off. Come on," Kagome insisted as she took Aang by his left arm and took him into the back room.

"I'll come, too, Kagome. I can mend and wash Aang's shirt for him," Katara offered as she followed Kagome and Aang into the room…

"How about it, Inuyasha? What do you think if we take the day off today?" Myoga suggested from his perch on Inuyasha's shoulder. The group of nine was once again gathered around the sitting area of Densuke's house.

"Sounds good. I agree," Shippo admitted.

"So, who do you want to travel with today, Sokka?" Kagome asked curiously.

"I'll go with Miroku," Sokka announced.

"Yeah, me, too!" Aang added.

"I'll go with you, then," Miroku agreed with a nod of his head.

"I'll go for a short walk," Inuyasha announced as he got up and headed for the door.

"Good idea, Inuyasha! I'll go, too," Shippo agreed as he ran after Inuyasha.

"I'll join you as well," Zuko added as he went outside to join Inuyasha and Shippo.

"Well, I think I'll stay here and clean," Kagome announced.

"I'll help you, Kagome," Sango offered.

"I'll help, too," Katara volunteered.

"In that case, we're leaving!" Sokka remarked as he, Aang, and Miroku left Densuke's house.

"It's such good weather. Why don't we go for a walk?" Miroku suggested as he looked up at the bright sun and the clear blue sky.

"Okay, Miroku," Aang agreed.

"You sure you're up to it, Aang?" Sokka asked curiously as he glanced at Aang's right arm. "Does your arm bother you at all?"

"No, not really, Sokka. Those medicines and ointments that Kagome used on my cut worked really well! I hardly feel any pain today!" Aang openly admitted.

"Well, if your arm starts bothering you, just let us know and we'll turn back, okay, Aang?" Sokka instructed the young airbender, who nodded his head in response.

"Well, then, shall we go?" Miroku asked curiously.

"All right, Miroku," Sokka replied as he and Aang followed Miroku out of Tsuzumi Village…

"Hey, Miroku?" Sokka asked curiously as the three of them walked down a trail deep in the forest, with Miroku leading the way.

"What is it, Sokka?" Miroku asked curiously as he stopped walking and turned around to face Sokka and Aang.

"Miroku, why is it that, even though you have strong dharma, you, uhh…" Sokka trailed off.

"I…what?" Miroku prodded.

"Why do you, um…you know, do…'that'…to girls?" Sokka hesitantly asked.

"Do what?" Miroku asked curiously, which made Sokka even more frustrated.

"You know! You see a girl, and immediately, you'll try to touch her bum or ask her if she'll be the mother of your children!" Sokka shouted out of frustration.

"What? Why are you trying to deny human nature?" Miroku asked.

"I didn't mean it like that," Sokka denied.

"The most important thing in this world is that you live your life to the fullest each and every day, Sokka," Miroku explained. "Have babies, raise them, and then those children will live out their lives. That cycle is the essence of life."

"Hmm…" Sokka murmured under his breath.

"Every day, I try to make more girls understand this teaching. I try my best," Miroku continued.

"So, that's the way it is…" Sokka trailed off nonchalantly.

"Yes, that's the way it is," Miroku replied with a nod of his head.

"But, why just teach girls, Miroku?" Aang asked curiously. "Because I don't like boys," Miroku simply replied.

_Should have seen that one coming,_ Sokka thought to himself with a frustrated sigh as he, Aang, and Miroku continued on their walk…


	19. Story Behind the Wind Tunnel

SECRET OF THE CURSED MASK

**Chapter Nineteen: Story Behind the Wind Tunnel**

"We finally made it! I was starting to think we'd never get out of that cave!" Kagome commented, being the first to exit the cavern.

After spending last night at Densuke's home, the group of nine headed to the cavern that Sokka revealed was a back road to their final destination: a suspicious castle plagued with problems that may be the work of Naraku.

"Come on, slowpokes! We won't get anywhere at this rate!" Inuyasha complained loudly, being the next one to leave the cave as he looked back over his shoulder at the dark cave opening.

"We're coming!" Aang announced as he, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara soon climbed out of the dark cavern's opening, being temporarily blinded by the bright afternoon sun.

As Katara rubbed her eyes, she was a bit startled by the slight movement of some nearby bushes, even though there wasn't even the slightest breeze in the air. "What was that?" she asked when a faint rustling broke the silence of the surrounding forest.

"Eh, it's probably just a deer or somethin'," Inuyasha remarked as he quickly glanced around. "Let's get going."

Just then, the rustling noise started again, only much louder this time and very close to the trail they were on. Soon after, a demon that Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Zuko recognized as a badger demon jumped out of the bushes and onto the trail, blocking their path.

"That doesn't look like a deer to me, Inuyasha!" Kagome retorted. The nine travelers carefully watched the badger demon as it curiously sniffed the air.

"I can smell them! You have Jewel shards, don't ya?" the badger demon chattered excitedly as it stepped towards the group. "Give me the Jewel shards!"

"You want 'em, come and get 'em!" Inuyasha challenged the badger demon as he started to walk towards it while rolling up his sleeves, but was cut off by Miroku's staff blocking his way. "Miroku! What the hell are you doing?" he yelled angrily at the monk.

"Kagome, tell me. Does this badger demon possess any Jewel shards?" Miroku asked rather seriously.

"No, I don't sense any shards on him," Kagome replied after looking over the badger demon a couple of times to see if she could see any Shikon Jewel shards.

"Then allow me to take care of this minor nuisance," Miroku announced with a sly little smirk as he stepped forward. "Stand back, everyone."

_What's he up to?_ Zuko wondered to himself when he noticed that Miroku was slowly unwrapping the prayer beads wrapped around his right hand and forearm.

"WIND TUNNEL!" Miroku shouted as he aimed his right hand at the badger demon, while holding his wrist steady with his left hand. To the surprise of Zuko, Sokka, Aang, and Katara, a strong powerful wind escaped from a marble-sized hole in the palm of Miroku's hand.

"What is that? He's sucking in everything that isn't secured to the ground!" Katara exclaimed as leaves, loose dirt, sticks, and rocks were pulled into the hole in Miroku's hand.

The badger demon tried desperately to escape his impending doom, but it was all in vain. Once the badger demon had been sucked into the hole, Miroku quickly rewrapped the prayer hands around his right hand and forearm.

"Well, then, shall we be on our way?" Miroku asked quite casually as he turned around to face his companions.

"Wow! That was incredible, Miroku!" Sokka openly admitted as he, Katara, and Aang gathered around Miroku. "What did you call it? The Wind Tunnel?"

"Why, yes," Miroku replied modestly as everyone continued down the trail.

"Wow! Can I see it?" Aang requested.

"I'm afraid that's an impossible request, young Aang. You see, any living being that gets sucked into the Wind Tunnel never comes out alive," Miroku explained as he glanced down at his right hand.

"Oh…okay. I'll be sure to keep my distance, then. How are you able to contain such a powerful weapon, Miroku?" Aang asked curiously.

"These prayer beads are what contain the Wind Tunnel," Miroku replied as he held up his hand.

"You mean to tell me that only a simple strand of prayer beads seal off the power of the Wind Tunnel?" Katara asked loudly out of surprise.

"Yes, I know it's hard to believe, Katara, but it is true," Miroku replied. "Never doubt the power of a religious relict, even something as simple in appearance as prayer beads."

Just then, the brief silence was interrupted by a high pitched voice screaming, "AHHH!!"

"I can hear the voice of a young woman," Miroku gasped as everyone came to a stop.

"A demon! Someone help me!" the same feminine voice shouted.

"What?" Katara gasped softly.

"Oh, and she's a beautiful woman," Miroku realized.

"You can tell just from the voice?" Zuko remarked dully out of disbelief.

"There's no mistake. Let's go," Miroku declared as he continued down the trail, soon followed by the others.

"He sure reacts quickly when it comes to women," Shippo commented dryly.

"Whatever. If it's a demon, we gotta fight him. Everyone, let's go!" Inuyasha announced.

The nine travelers soon reached a small clearing, where not one, but three young women, were being harassed by a purple bat with green ball and long blue stingers attached to its tail.

The young lady in the middle had waist-length black hair tied back with a pale yellow hair band with two long locks framing her face, and she was wearing a yellow kimono with a green collar underneath a blue trailing kimono with long flowing sleeves and a pale yellow bull's-eye pattern, a thin red sash tied around the yellow kimono, white socks, and sandals.

The girl to the left had long black hair tied back with a red hair band, and she was wearing a full-length pale pink kimono covered with white dots, a turquoise sash, white socks, and sandals.

The girl to the right had long black hair tied back with a purple hair band, and she was wearing a full-length brown kimono, a lime green sash, white socks, and sandals.

"It kinda looks like a bad luck bat, only the colors are different," Katara muttered out loud.

"That one's called a Gonkurai bat. It's far more dangerous than a bad luck bat," Sango replied.

"Hahaha…" the Gonkurai bat chucked sinisterly.

It was then that the young lady in the middle noticed the nine strangers. "Travelers, please help me," she pleaded.

"Of course. I'm here now, so everything's going to be all right," Miroku assured the three girls.

"It really is a beautiful woman! Wow, Miroku!" Sokka openly admitted.

"Don't waste your time on stupid things. Let's go!" Sango announced.

"This should be simple enough," Zuko commented as he aimed a powerful blast of fire at the Gonkurai bat.

"AHH!" the Gonkurai bat screamed loudly in pain as he frantically flew around in circles.

"Heh," Zuko chuckled to himself, but his expression soon changed when the demon successfully snuffed out the flames that encompassed his body.

"Ha, ha! Foolish human!" the Gonkurai bat practically taunted Zuko, unaware that Kagome was loading an arrow in her bow and Miroku was sneaking up on the demon. "It'll take more than a few flames to defeat me!"

"Then how about taking this on for size!" Miroku shouted as he swung his staff at the Gonkurai bat, pinning him down to the ground. "Now, Kagome!" he shouted to Kagome as he quickly moved his staff off of the demon bat.

"Okay, here goes!" Kagome announced as she fired an arrow at the Gonkurai bat, which penetrated through the thick hide of his right wing and destroyed a good-sized chunk of the wing.

"OHH!" the demon moaned painfully as he struggled to get back up in the air, despite his recent injury.

"It wasn't…supposed to…happen like that…" the Gonkurai bat gasped a bit weakly as he unsteadily flew towards Inuyasha.

"Get off me!" Inuyasha shouted as he finished off the Gonkurai bat with a swing of the Tetsusaiga.

As the demonic aura faded away, the three young women approached their saviors, with the girl in the blue kimono in the lead.

"Greetings, travelers. I am Yurihime, and these are my assistants, Koto and Kinu," she introduced herself and her two assistants, gesturing first to the girl on her left, then to the girl on her right. "Thank you so much! It was because of you that we're saved."

"Oh, it's nothing," Miroku replied nonchalantly.

"I don't know what would have become of us if you hadn't saved us," Yurihime openly confessed.

"Oh, I know," Koto agreed.

"I'm here now, so everything will be alright," Miroku announced.

"You're so strong," Kinu commented.

"You really are a handsome monk," Koto added.

"Oh, please!" Zuko murmured under his breath, rolling his eyes as Miroku chuckled modestly.

"I never get hurt by such small demons," Miroku boasted proudly.

"Come on, you're such a flirt," Sango remarked dully.

"Either way, it looks like there aren't any more demons. We should go," Inuyasha suggested.

"You're right," Kagome agreed. "It's still a ways to the castle. We need to hurry."

"Wait a minute. I would like to show my appreciation. If you would like, please come to the mansion," Yurihime offered.

"Thank you very much. We will gladly go with you," Miroku quickly accepted.

"Hey, Miroku. Why in the world do we need to go to some woman's house?" Inuyasha asked dully, although he already knew Miroku's reason for going.

"Yeah, no more distractions!" Sango remarked.

"Of course, we'll prepare you a delicious meal," Yurihime announced.

"Food, huh? Actually, I'm starving," Inuyasha realized.

"Yeah, I'm kinda hungry, too," Aang added as he placed a hand on his stomach.

"I'll prepare meat, fish, and mountain vegetables," Koto revealed.

"There are a lot of demons ahead. If you come, we could at least feed you a good meal," Kinu pointed out.

"It seems pretty dangerous around here," Inuyasha muttered thoughtfully.

"Maybe it's a good idea if we go to the mansion," Kagome suggested.

"It would be scary to part ways here," Katara confessed.

"Yes, I agree," Sokka added.

"Well, they are inviting us, so it would be rude to refuse," Inuyasha pointed out.

"As long as I am here, you don't need to worry about demons," Miroku announced as he stepped forward and took Yurihime's hands into his own, causing the young woman to blush.

_He sure reacts quickly when it comes to this sort of thing,_ Zuko thought disapprovingly as he, Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Sango, Miroku, Katara, Aang, and Sokka followed Yurihime, Koto, and Kinu down a side trail…

"I hope you all enjoy everything we've prepared for you," Yurihime openly confessed as Kinu and Koto finished setting everything up and left.

It was getting dark outside of the mansion that the nine travelers were brought to, and they had just sat down to dinner in a large dining room. The room was set with nine individual small tables lined up in two rows, each with plates and bowls full of food. In addition, the room had a large lantern on either side of the room, a smaller lantern in the middle of the tables, and a silkscreen divider set up in one corner of the room. Inuyasha, Aang, Sango, and Zuko were sitting on one side of the room, with Zuko sitting closest to the door; while Shippo, Kagome, Sokka, and Katara were sitting on the other side of the room. The ninth table, which was furthest away from the door and located between Inuyasha and Shippo, was currently unoccupied. The only ones still standing in the room were Miroku and Yurihime.

"Wow! That's a lot of food. There's no way I can eat all of this," Kagome confessed.

"Me, neither," Katara added.

As the others started eating, Miroku turned to Yurihime and commented, "You're such a beautiful woman."

"Oh, Miroku, such sweet words," Yurihime gasped as she giggled a bit shyly.

"I never flatter," Miroku replied.

"Really?" Yurihime asked curiously.

"Really," Miroku admitted.

"He really lays it on, doesn't he?" Inuyasha remarked.

"Yeah, really," Katara stated dully.

"A monk, huh?" Sango murmured angrily as she clenched her chopsticks tightly in her right hand.

Aang gasped slightly out of surprise when Sango snapped both chopsticks in half. "Sango, you broke your chopsticks! Are you mad?" he asked curiously.

"It's because of Miroku," Kagome whispered just loud enough for Aang to overhear.

"It's such a beautiful night," Miroku announced as he glanced over at the doorway, which was only covered up by a bamboo curtain.

"Would you like to go outside, Miroku?" Yurihime suggested.

"Sure, let's go," Miroku agreed as the two headed for the doorway.

_Yeah, and I suppose he'll have to search her robes while he's at it, the pervert!_ Zuko thought angrily to himself as he ate another bite of his fish.

"They're gone," Sokka spoke up once Miroku and Yurihime had left the room.

"Hmmm…is he what you would call a 'ladies' man,' Kagome?" Shippo asked curiously.

"Afraid so. Hey, Sango, should we let them go?" Kagome prodded.

"It doesn't have anything to do with me," Sango stated firmly as she stared down at the plates of food set before her.

"Am I the only one that sees that it does?" Shippo whispered out loud to no one in particular.

"I…I don't care about that monk!" Sango denied as she folded her arms in front of her chest.

_Poor Sango. Miroku is such a ladies' man,_ Katara thought to herself as she took a bite of her potatoes.

"What I don't get is why Miroku is taking this dangerous journey to find Naraku?" Sokka asked curiously. "I can see why, if it's because he wants to meet a lot of girls…'cuz it really doesn't seem like he's out to save the world."

"I guess I haven't told you guys about the Wind Tunnel," Kagome realized.

"Wind Tunnel? That's the power that Miroku has, right?" Aang asked curiously as he reached for a small plate of sweet dumplings at the far end of his table.

"Yes, but it's not exactly a power, Aang. It's a curse that was put on his right hand by Naraku," Kagome explained.

"Is that right? Poor guy…but why would Naraku give Miroku the Wind Tunnel? Doesn't it help him?" Sokka inquired curiously.

"It's not that simple," Inuyasha spoke up.

"As time goes by, the Wind Tunnel grows. Eventually, it will swallow Miroku up," Kagome reluctantly admitted.

Aang was so stunned by the news that he dropped the sweet dumpling that he was about to shove into his waiting mouth. "Does that mean Miroku will die?" he hesitantly asked.

"Yes," Kagome revealed. "The only way that Miroku can rid himself of the Wind Tunnel and prolong his own life is by destroying Naraku."

"I didn't realize what he's been through…" Katara trailed off.

_That's just great. Let everyone feel sorry for the poor lecherous monk,_ Zuko thought angrily to himself. _If he lived in our time, he wouldn't get away with touching any girl without severe consequences, no matter what nation he's in!_

It was then that Zuko's attention was diverted by two voices whispering amongst themselves just outside of the doorway, which he recognized as Koto and Kinu.

"Soon," Koto stated.

"Yes, soon. I choose the girl with black hair," Kinu whispered.

"I'll take the girl with the braid and blue eyes," Koto whispered.

_What are they talking about?_ Zuko thought to himself as he stared at the doorway.

"Zuko, is there something wrong?" Sango asked curiously when she noticed the teenage firebender staring vacantly at the doorway.

"I'm not quite sure yet…" Zuko trailed off as he stood up.

"What are you doing?" Sokka asked curiously as Zuko started walking around the room.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Sokka?" Zuko retorted. "I'm just walking around a bit. Do you mind?"

"Whatever…" Sokka trailed off as he continued eating. Zuko soon stopped at the silkscreen divider set up in the corner right behind Katara and casually looked over the painting of a white crane standing in a pond full of water reeds.

"This is a bit of an unusual place to put one of these, especially in a dining room. Maybe they're trying to hide something that they don't want us to see," Zuko murmured thoughtfully as he peeked behind the silkscreen divider. He was surprised to see some characters painted a bit sloppily on the wall, apparently in red ink or water paint.

"Huh? There's something written on the wall here. I wonder what it says?" Zuko then returned his attention to the others in the room and announced, "This place is a bit strange. There's something written on the wall over here."

"Strange? Like what? Was somebody bad-mouthing someone on the wall?" Shippo asked curiously before helping himself to another sweet dumpling.

"No, not from what I can tell…but it's still strange to me," Zuko revealed.

"What are you so scared of, scaredy cat?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically as he stood up.

"I'm not scared, Inuyasha! Would you just take a look?" Zuko asked a bit loudly as he pointed at the silkscreen divider.

"Fine, if it'll make you shut up," Inuyasha muttered under his breath as he came to the silkscreen divider to investigate.

After examining the markings on the wall and giving them a good sniff, Inuyasha turned back around and announced, "Hey, something is weird. This is human blood."

"Blood…I wonder what happened?" Kagome gasped softly as she, Shippo, Sango, Katara, Sokka, and Aang all stood up.

"I don't know, but there's definitely something going on in this mansion," Zuko pointed out.

"I'm getting worried about the monk," Sango muttered worriedly as she glanced back at the bamboo curtain covering the only doorway for the dining room.

"Yeah, let's go check on him," Sokka suggested as everyone headed for the doorway and parted the bamboo curtain on their way out. They had just stepped out into the hallway when they spotted Koto and Kinu standing at either end of the hall, blocking off any possible escape route.

"Where are you going?" Koto asked nonchalantly. "We're in the middle of a party."

"I…need to use the bathroom!" Katara quickly blurted out as an excuse.

_Oh, that's just great! Why did I have to say that in front of everyone?_ Katara thought to herself as her face turned bright red, humiliated that that was the very first thing to come to her mind.

"Yes, I suddenly need to go, too," Kagome revealed, allowing Katara to get over her embarrassment.

"You should go after the party," Kinu suggested.

"Use the bathroom after the party?" Sango repeated a bit suspiciously.

"Yes. Please just go back to the room," Koto insisted.

"Something is definitely strange," Sokka muttered out loud.

"Yes," Kagome agreed with a nod of her head.

"They're suspicious," Koto stated as she glanced down the hall at Kinu.

"They're suspicious," Kinu repeated.

"W-what?" Aang asked a bit nervously.

"Until the master gets the monk's liver, don't let them leave the room," Koto stated as she started to slowly approach the group of eight, her eyes glowing with an eerie red light.

"Okay. Kill…kill…" Kinu trailed off as she also started to slowly walk towards them with her eyes glowing red, too.

Suddenly, both girls' bodies quickly expanded like a pair of balloons and exploded, revealing large floating heads that looked much like the ookubi, only they had green-hued skin, long flowing dark gray hair, dark gray lips, and blank eyes.

"They've transformed!" Shippo gasped, who was perched on Zuko's right shoulder.

"No…I have a feeling this is their true form," Zuko reluctantly admitted.

"These serfs won't get us that easy," Inuyasha announced as he gripped the handle of his Tetsusaiga. Before Inuyasha could withdraw his sword, one of the serfs let out a deep wailing shriek before speeding towards the group.

"Aah!" Kagome screamed as she ducked down.

"Get down!" Inuyasha shouted as he pushed both Aang and Katara down to the floor. Sango, Kirara, Sokka, Zuko, and Shippo quickly dropped down to the floor just as the serf flew over everyone's heads, passing just mere inches above them all.

"Grr…" Inuyasha growled angrily under his breath as he lifted up his head and looked over his shoulder at the two serfs, now gathered together at the end of the hall.

"You won't get another chance to try that again!" Inuyasha shouted as he ran towards the serfs while withdrawing the Tetsusaiga. "Wind Scar!"

The energy released from Inuyasha's demon sword easily tore through the serfs' giant heads. The two serfs let out high-pitched pain-filled squeals as their bodies dissipated and their demonic auras were released.

"Ha! Those demons were no match!" Inuyasha boasted as he sheathed the Tetsusaiga, while the serfs' demonic auras faded away.

"We better find Miroku right away," Kagome muttered worriedly. "I didn't like what Koto was saying earlier about her master getting the monk's liver."

"D-does that mean I might be next?" Aang asked a bit worriedly.

"Don't worry about it, Aang. I don't think those girls even know you are a monk," Katara reassured the young airbender.

"We should search the ground immediately for Miroku, before it's too late," Sango interrupted.

"Yes, of course," Sokka agreed as he and the others headed down the hall…


End file.
